Twist of Fate: A Problem with Scales
by Zzzyyxas
Summary: This is an alternate universe story about Lizard (Curt Connors) and Stegron, the Dinosaur man with a few major twists. First of all, they are heroes! Read on if you like your heroes with scales! Story by Zzzyyxas (me) and Bahamut-255; Dr Connors/The Lizard & Stegron, The Dinosaur-Man are (c) - Marvel
1. Part 1

New York; Manhattan Island; November; Late Evening; In a house that looked like any other on the street.

"Nervous, Curt?"

"A little." He admitted, his voice a deep hissing rasp.

The reason being that despite the belted purple pants, the thick plain-black turtleneck sweater, and black shoes polished to a shine, there was no way to hide just who, and what, he was.

Leaf-green scales where he wasn't covered, a snout filled with needle-sharp teeth, and a dexterous tail - perhaps one-and-a-half times longer than his legs - that emerged from the specially-made hole in the seat of his pants. In fact, everything he wore from the waist down had to be made to order.

Which had been his life for what was now fast-approaching four-point-five years, ever since his attempt to re-grow his missing arm succeeded. In a manner of speaking.

[+]

Dr Curtis Connors hadn't always been a PhD Geneticist, specialising in Herpetology. Years before he'd served in the US Army Corp as a Field Surgeon, providing on-the-spot medical assistance to wounded soldiers, in fact, he'd been one of the best, able to save far more lives than many others with his willingness to dive into the danger and help his fellow countrymen.

And that was when and how his life took its first nosedive.

A grenade had detonated nearby, shrapnel puncturing his right arm while he'd been busy tending to another wounded. In hindsight, the smart thing to have done would be to retreat to tend to the injury A.S.A.P. but in his arrogance, he'd remained on the battlefield and used his supplies on all the others he could. By the time he finally returned and had his own wounds examined, the damage had been done. Too much of the tissue had died, gangrene was setting in. The only option he had was to have his arm amputated slightly below the shoulder.

The immediate consequence had been his Honourable Discharge from Service. The more serious one was slow to manifest, his growing depression. In the back of his mind, he never really felt, Whole. Of course these days he'd long since learned just how misguided it had been for him, but back then it felt like it was how he should feel. Yes, over time he learned how to live with just one arm, able to button and belt up himself, tie his own laces, eat at the table without too much trouble. But with the constant pain where he knew his arm should be, Phantom Pain, and how the world was essentially built for those with two good arms and legs, he became resolved to find a means of making himself whole once again.

Which led him into his other area of expertise. His knowledge on reptiles was immense and he knew that a number of them had the ability to regenerate entire limbs if they were lost, a trait that meant if a predator was to grab their tail, they could break it loose and run away from the threat. If he could replicate this ability in humans, the benefits would be beyond measure.

With the same drive he'd carried from his Field Surgeon Days, he dived into his research for months on end, determining how to add that particular trait of reptiles into the Human Genome. Aid for this came perhaps accidentally from a long-time colleague, Dr Vincent Stegron. His work on how to swap strands and pieces of the Genetic Structure between different species was the breakthrough he needed to complete his work, dubbed the Bio-Regenerative Formula. In part from his elation at completing his work, and in part his own impatience to get his arm back, he injected the serum into himself before the full test results were complete.

And that was when things went wrong.

Yes, he did grow a new right arm, and it functioned as well as his old one. But before he could call out to Martha to tell her the Good News, the spasms of pain had started.

He remembered, all too well, the gut-wrenching fear from seeing the new skin turn rough and hard, spreading from the arm across his torso to all the other extremities. At how it changed colour from pal-tan to green, his clothes growing tight as he grew not only in height, but muscle. Legs, arms and feet tearing through what he wore. His face pushing outwards, the crunch of his skull shrinking, his spine extending well past its base. He must have been screaming as the last memory of that event before his world went black was the sight of Martha looking at him, the expression of absolute terror on her face, one he'd never forgotten.

[+]

"You're thinking about that night again, aren't you?" Martha probed, aware of how his mind could wander towards the more painful episodes in his life.

"Ssorry." He never had been able to eliminate the lisp, but these days it wasn't too bad. "It's jusst…I'm worried…that'ss all." He explained.

"About?" Martha looked her husband in the eye. For all his eighty inches and three-hundred and eight pounds, he did still have the same round eyes as before, even if the irises were red these days.

"Thiss dinner. I did mention that Dr Sstregron iss more prone to…well…letting loosse." He fumbled briefly, trying to find the right words.

"If you're worried about him being an embarrassment to you, don't." She gently scolded. "After all, it was your idea to invite him."

That was true, when a little over a week ago he'd met Dr Stegron for the first time in a long while, when he'd been picking up a few things for Martha before going home from work.

"Yess. I guesss we'll jusst need to ssee what happenss then." He conceded, his tail lowering as his nerves calmed.

"Mom? Dad? What are you talking about?" The question from their son, Billy.

"Nothing." Curt began, "That you need to worry about." He added right after.

"So have you finished your homework? All of it?" Martha asked her son.

"Yes. It's all done." He answered his mother with a distinct lack of enthusiasm in his voice.

"Good." Now Curt took his turn to speak to him, dropping to one knee before he continued. "Now I know I've mentioned this before but to be sure, you do know Dr Stegron is a lot like myself?"

Billy nodded, it was hard for him to tell what his father was thinking, given that his face had so little ability to show emotion, having to rely on how he spoke and his body moved to make a guess. And he supposed it'd be the same with this Dr Stegron as well.

"Then you'll know what to expect, so try not to be too surprised." He comforted his son, still not completely used to what Curt was these days. 'I hope.' He mentally added, still unsure if Stegron had taken his advice.

The doorbell ringing meant he'd get his answer soon enough. A check through the spy-hole confirming the unmistakable spiked tail and orange scaled head of their guest as he unlocked the door and invited him in.

Dr Stegron waited by the door a moment longer, dusting off the light coating of snow that had built up on his thick purple trench coat and hat before stepping inside. And it was now, once Curt had closed the door that he could see that Dr Stegron hadn't taken his advice at all.

His coat - which on further inspection, did look just a little bit tatty - opened, then off, and once the hat and scarf joined it on the coat rack, he had nothing to cover his scales with, save for the bracers he always wore.

"Evening Curt." His voice carried the same deep hissing rasp as Dr Connors, though still distinct. "Mrsss Connorsss. Billy." He addressed his host's family in turn, kneeling down to speak with Billy.

Who in turn had to remember to close his mouth at the sight of this Saurian Doctor. His father had certainly been right when he said they were a lot like each other, in that they were both reptiles, but that's where the visual similarities ended. His father didn't have this Doctor Stegron's Dorsal Plates or spiked tail, and he stood on the balls of his feet versus the heel for his father.

And despite his every instinct screaming at him to RUN! He held his ground, albeit close to his mother. He already knew that despite his father's appearance, he had proven that he could be trusted, and he would at least give their guest a chance to show the same.

"H-Hello Dr, Stegron." Billy managed to greet him through his nervousness, which Stegron responded to with a chuckle and ruffle of his hair.

But now Dr Connors was really fidgeting, the tip of his tail shaking one hand tugging at the neck of his sweater. A sight Martha noticed as she thought of a way to diffuse a possible problem.

"Billy? Mind helping me finish preparing Dinner?" Martha offered him.

"S-Sure." His reply once his moment of surprise passed.

"Good. If you two could wait in the living room, and I'll call when it's ready. It'll just be a few minutes. Tops." Motioning to Stegron where it was, then taking Billy with her into the opposite room.

"Vincent." Dr Connors began as soon as he knew they were alone. "Did I not ssay, wear ssomething? Even sshhortss? I thought you agreed to that."

"No. I sssaid I'd think about it." Dr Stegron countered, a little more forcefully than he intended. "Then I decccided, if they're going to sssee me, they're going, to sssee, me." He explained his decision.

Curt could only sigh deeply at that as he slowly sat down to think things over, almost taking a hunched stance before correcting himself and settling down on the couch, angling himself to let his tail swing round. A sight that wasn't lost on his guest.

"Lisssten, I'm sssorry if you don't like thisss." Stegron apologised to his host, but with every intention of making sure he knew why he'd done it. "But I'm not going to deny who, and what, I am. And truth be told, I wasss hoping it'd be the sssame with you."

"What doess that mean?" He shot a hard look at him, wondering just what he was getting at.

"I mean, look at you." Stegron pointed to Connors' chest. "The way you're dressssed, being dressssed at all. Jussst what are you trying to prove?" The question wasn't harshly fired, more, concerned.

"Only that I'm sstill me. Sstill Dr Curtiss Connorss." He finally replied. "That I'm the ssame man I wass before thiss happened. The husband of Martha and father of Billy, a teacher in ESU." The last part, he knew had been a minor miracle. It wasn't everyday after all, that one of their faculty essentially changed species, and there had been a lengthy probation period he'd been subject to - constant supervision while on ESU Grounds, regular reports of his behaviour - before they had even begun to trust him again.

"And you mean to tell me that, you've never, not even once." Stegron paused to consider his next words. "You know my name is Dr Vinccent Ssstegron, but I am, Ssstegron, the Dinosssaur-Man. It'sss who, and what, I am. Ssso tell me Curt. Have you ever, wanted to be, The Lizard? To sssimply be who, and what, you are?"

Curt wanted to give a flat "no" to him but no sound came from his snout as he recalled a dream he'd had.

[+]

It had been last Summer, and he, Martha, and Billy had been travelling down the I-95 to their home in the Florida Everglades. Martha had been driving at the time and along this dull stretch of monotonous asphalt, he later realised he'd dozed off.

Because the next thing he knew, he was not only alone in the car - not to mention the now-empty Interstate - but in the drivers' seat. Squirming and growling in ever-increasing frustration at these Mammalian Trappings of metal, glass, and fabric, the soft ground and warm air that he was meant to be with just beyond his grasp, even opening the window of no use, the outside air denying him, what air there inside stifling. His efforts to get the fresher air fruitless as he roared and screeched, clawed hands swiping away until by accident, he tore a gash through his sweater.

And a small puff of the sweeter air outside greeted his flicking tongue.

An experimental widening of the gash sent another precious small puff his way, and again. Chuckling to himself, he knew what to do.

With the road ahead straight and true, both hands tore into the thick material that suffocated him, thick arms and solid abs at last able to enjoy the light that greeted them. The worthless scraps out the window as the scenery changed, now an empty country road. Followed soon by more from his freeing his caged legs, chunks of purple fabric flying out, hissing in pleasure as he felt himself become more alive with each piece of his scales freed.

Now he was at his home, and forcing the car to a halt, was already kicking his shoes off before he was even out. This, was much better for The Lizard. The sun soaking into him, the warm breeze caressing him as he raced past the house and into the thick woodlands.

Racing through the dense foliage, jumping over fallen obstacles and dodging pitfalls, sometimes using the trunks and larger branches for jumps and swings. Clawed and bare soles never losing their grip. His utter delight at his Freedom. A large river lay ahead, the water running clean and clear. A launch from a fallen trunk, a kick from the standing one, arms outstretched with legs and tail straight back as like an arrow, he sliced through its surface.

And jolted back awake, still in the car, still in the passenger seat, still 700 miles to go.

[+]

Except for Martha, he told none about that Dream of his. Only they knew, just how much he liked it whenever he so much as thought about it, just, how badly, he wanted to do that, as he'd done so in his mind.

"That's dinner ready now." He was spared from answering - for now at least - when Martha called to them, herself and Billy at opposite sides of the table.


	2. Part 2

Billy sat at the table opposite his mother, waiting with loosely hidden interest for the remaining chairs to be taken. The ones he and his mother had were from the original dining set, soft, but with chair backs – something neither of the reptiles could comfortably place themselves onto. The stools, thoughtfully offered to the husband and his visitor, were lacking this feature as to be comfortable for creatures with tails.

The boy curiously turned to the sound of approaching heavy footsteps as the two reptiles entered the dining room side by side. His father has certainly gained quite a little height and mass after the transformation, but even he looked dwarfed by the orange creature right next to him, his sheer size and muscles enough to intimidate anyone. Seeing them side by side made the differences even clearer for Billy, as not only did they have substantially different builds, but, seemingly, even their very physiologies. The most noticeable difference was in the way they walked, of course: with Connors moving relatively upright and human-like, adjusting ever so slightly for the tail behind him, while Stegron assumed an entirely different posture, hunching his long neck further forward, the tail high above the ground and actively helping with balance as he remained standing on his toes at all times.

Another difference that stood out was how Curt's smooth scales glittered evenly in the lights with a beautiful ornament, while Stegron's looked rougher and a bit more hectic, resembling leathery pebble. His scale pattern consisted of irregular pieces of varying sizes over his whole body, with a lighter shade on the front and under the tail. He also had a distinct sharp beak in contrast to Curt's teeth-filled snout. But the most easily noticeable differences were probably the numerous bony protrusions – large rectangular plates that went in two rows across the reptile's back and formed four sharp spikes at the tip of his tail.

Lastly, Connors was much leaner, most of his toned reptilian body well hidden from unwanted stares under the baggy clothes, but Stegron stayed comfortably bare scaled, even if it didn't quite register as such because of his overall rather exotic appearance, with his entire self out on display. Connors would often wrap himself almost head to tail when he'd go outside, but, frankly, Billy had his doubts that the orange saurian here could hide effectively or pass for a human even if he wanted to. Standing at 7'5'' tall with such massive body there was no keeping a low profile in a crowd for him either.

Truth be told, it was not quite what he imagined when his father told him earlier about the guest. Then again, he could hardly imagine someone like that even if he was described in more detail. Yet more surprising was that Billy couldn't remember any animals that would resemble this new character. He was dying to ask what species he was, but didn't want to come off as rude, especially in light of how delicate this topic was for his father.

Stegron suspiciously examined his plate, sniffing the contents in front of him a few times before addressing the hosts.

"Exxxcussse me, but isss that cheessse I ssssmell on top?" he rasped. "You might not be aware of thisss, but reptilessss are lactossse intolerant. We cannot digessst it."

Martha stopped with her fork midway to her mouth to shoot Stegron a worried glance, then quickly turned to Connors who had already finished half of his portion and didn't seem to pay the remark any attention, clumsily digging with fork and knife into more of the meat.

"You... didn't know?" Stegron concluded from the expression. "Have you never kept a pet lizard?"

There was an audible crack as the metal fork in Connor's hand snapped in half. He glared at the saurian across the table with furious red eyes, deep lines forming on his forehead, as his patience was reaching a boiling point. He put all his effort to speak as softly as he could.

"I. Am not. A Lizard!" Connors hissed, his clawed hands on the table, raising slightly, the tip of his tail whipping menacingly behind him.

"You sssure look like one though" Stegron reminded nonchalantly. "No offenccce, but whatever you think you are, you ssshould know better than to eat what isss poisssonousss to you. Who am I teaching anyway?" he snorted, noticing Curt was too furious and not taking any of that on board. "Aren't you a Herpetologissst yourssself? You ssshould be the expert here, not me"

Billy cast a concerned glance at his father. Everything started to make sense. He remembered how not so long ago his father did seem not quite all right after a cup of white coffee, and then he stayed at the bathroom for a long time after eating porridge for breakfast, which had milk and butter. So he couldn't eat any dairy products all this time, but never said a word?! If Dr Stegron didn't just share with them, they probably would have never guessed the cause to his sickness. And worse than that, was Dr Stegron implying that Connors knew it all this time, but still kept it a secret?

"I... had no idea..." Martha confessed. "I am so sorry! Dr Stegron, Curt, please give me the plates, I'll cook something else in a jiffy. Curt!" She insisted softly but firmly, clearly indicating it was not the time to argue with her. The Lizard slowly set back, breathing deeply to calm down and passed the plate to his wife.

"I... do like cheesse. And milk. And butter" he said after a while, a little nostalgically and not addressing anyone in particular, but seemingly responding to Stegron's advice. "It iss hard not to be able to eat what you like. It frusstrratess me. I am ssorry I lasshed out like that"

Stegron let out an uncertain soft snort, but didn't say anything.

"Uhm, Dr Stegron, are you currently working on any research?" Billy tried to change the topic in hopes to lighten the mood.

"Ah, yesss..." The saurian sounded surprised at the sudden interest. "I have a project in mind. I am building a ray that can reanimate dinosssaursss from fosssilssss."

"Woah!" Billy gasped. "Really?! Is that even possible?!"

"Quite ssso, I do believe" The saurian replied confidently. "In fact, part of it hasss already worked, hasssn't it?" he pointed at himself. "I have already reasssembled one, after all, jussst not... quite asss I intended. The sssserum wassss sssssuposssed to add other sssspeciessss DNA to reconssstruct the remnantsss of an ancccient ssspeccciesss, and it did! It jussst wasssn't sssssuposssed to do ssso inside another organisssm, that isss. I'll try not to hit myssself with the beam thissss time."

"Wait… do you mean you are a dinosaur?!" Billy was at a loss of words. He had a hunch of course, but his guesses were far more modest. It all made sense now: his strange plates, tough scales and large claws, but it still felt too much like science fiction even for someone who already lived with a humanoid lizard.

"Correct. A hybrid of two, actually" Stegron added.

The conversation was interrupted as Martha returned with a freshly roasted stake and some dill on top, no cheese this time. The table fell silent once again. Connors did not look in the mood for a conversation at the moment and silently turned to his dish. Stegron looked down at his own plate, then back at Connors who already worked his way through with a knife and a fork, just like a human would, he noticed, if not for the large jaws filled with razor sharp teeth which made him look a little silly sticking a little fork into.

Stegron sighed. The number of fingers was not really a problem for him to hold the utensils as well, but his claws were too big and would get in the way. It was a very long time since he used human instruments to eat, he thought. In the end he always found using his claws alone was more convenient. One other thing, of course, was that he couldn't chew that well with a beak. Usually he swallowed the food whole and then followed it with a few stones or gravel to help grind the food already inside his stomach, but the humans were hardly expected to have anticipated that. Sure enough, there wasn't anything suitable prepared on the table.

Stegron snatched the piece with a claw and dropped the steak into his mouth in one motion, gulping it whole.

Martha stopped with a fork in mid air for a second, forgetting to chew as she regarded her guest with a mix of surprise and disapproval. She did realize soon after, however, that she shouldn't be too hard on the visitor, especially since he was a friend of Curt's and she didn't want him to feel any more uncomfortable, partcularly after that awkward incident with cheese. She remembered Curt's warnings that his friend was a little 'wild', and she seemed to understand what he meant. Truth be told, she was also a little ashamed to admit she knew so little about reptiles even though she was living with one for more than four years now. If only Curt let her in on what was right and wrong for reptiles instead of letting her do the guesswork!

Martha dug the fork in and continued eating as if nothing had happened.

The dinosaur man licked the dripping juice from his beak, but there was still more where he couldn't reach, plus his claws were now dirty too, and everyone looked at him weird.

"Can I usssse a bathroom?" He asked.

"Of course! Follow me!" Billy offered eagerly.

The saurian followed young Billy upstairs to where the bathroom was, finding it just large enough to accommodate him with his long tail and all, if he didn't move around too much. He also appreciated a warm brown rug with short fluff on the floor - a pleasing experience for his bare soles compared to cold stone he was expecting, all while also conveniently protecting the tiles from the sharp claws, no doubt a house of someone who was used to having large reptiles around.

The Doctor took a moment to enjoy the warm water, but the fat wouldn't come off just yet. He looked around for some soap and went through a line of gels and shampoos on the nearest shelf. As he went through one after another, it struck him that all of those were for humans. Eventually he found a bar of soap, but there wasn't a single reptile-friendly gel he'd recognize. He certainly hoped Connors wasn't stupid enough to wash scales with a shampoo for mammal hair, but he wouldn't put it past him. Just as he was about to come out and scold his friend, the saurian heard bits of a conversation from behind the door.

"Curt, I thought we talked about this already! Why do you keep to yourself so much? I understand that you may feel embarrassed, but we need to know how to best suit your needs! If only you told me sooner...! And even that dream you had...! This cannot go on!"

"Martha..." Curt whispered with deep care in his voice, his light hissing almost inaudible. "It iss all right. You don't have to worry. I have everything under control, I promisse."

"No, you do not!" Martha was raising her voice now. "You are going too hard on yourself! Think about Billy! What will happen if something goes wrong one day? Can you guarantee his safety? You know we love you, dear! We love the person you are, the loving husband and the caring father. To us it doesn't matter how you look, but we don't want to be a burden for you. We want you to be happy! Please, you need to take more care of yourself as well. We know you haven't changed and you don't have to prove it, but... the circumstances change, and sometimes we need to adjust, to adapt."

Connors sighed in defeat. He knew she was referring to his accident in the army, in which he lost an arm. Trying to grow it back he began to study reptiles, fascinated by certain lizards' ability to regenerate a tail once it was lost. In a way he succeeded, he had two arms now, but he also lost so much more. Each and every time he tried to fix his mistake, he'd only make it worse. Now he was stuck, trapped inside the Lizard's body for the rest of his days.

Yet it could still be way worse than that, like if he lost his sentience as well, for example, and that could have easily been one of the possible outcomes. Back when he lost his arm, he was drowned in self-pity, determined to succeed, never even considering the alternative if he were to fail. He couldn't even imagine what might become of him if he were to fail fixing 'the Lizard' until it would be too late. Knowing this, he gave up on the cure long ago, instead putting his trust into his friends and family who talked him out of it, but sometimes bitter thoughts still crossed his mind.

In those times he was grateful for Martha's warmth and support as she, unbeknown to her, had stopped him once again from making a horrible mistake. He already had everything he could wish for. Did he need to be anything else for his family to love him? Curt agreed to accept himself as the Lizard and was not going back on his word, yet he could not always quite follow on his promise and even being reminded of what he was sometimes hurt his feelings. Perhaps, deep down he couldn't help but think of it as his punishment, and the negative feelings kept crawling and piling at the back of his mind.

In the past month he became noticeably angrier, reverting to his reptilian instincts when he least expected. This was becoming a problem. Curt deeply regretted taking his anger today on Stegron. He knew the saurian meant well for him even if he was a little blunt with it.

"Maybe... you are right..." Connors finally admitted.

"Perfect!" Martha exclaimed. "Then let's treat ourselves and go somewhere on a picnic the next weekend! Somewhere far and deep in the forest, with no people around for miles! Only the rustling trees, birds singing and lots of fresh air! Wouldn't that be a great way to relax?"

Stegron smirked, waiting for them to finish before turning the door handle and making his exit.

" _No need to thank me, my friend._ " He thought to himself, rather pleased. " _Though you are most welcome!_ "


	3. Part 3

The dinner was nearing its logical conclusion and the two friends moved back to the living room and right next to the fireplace, enjoying its soothing warmth. Martha stayed back to wash the dishes, but Billy couldn't help following the reptiles, eager to satiate his boundless curiosity. He knew his father would often sit by the fireplace in the mornings and right before he was about to go outside, the reason having something to do with temperature and other things he did not understand. He didn't dare to ask his father about it further, but it seemed plausible to assume it boiled down to the fact he simply didn't like cold.

"So… Did you like it here?" Billy sat next to the Dinosaur man who moved his tail to the other side, inviting the boy to stay nearby.

"Yesss, it wasss lovely" he hissed. "Sssorry if I wasss trouble. Sssometimesss I may be a little clumsssy, with the way I am..."

"Oh, it was nothing" said Billy easily, curiously examining the reptile's orange scales as he sat right next to him, almost touching. "Do you live far away?"

"Only a few busss stopsss" Stegron growled. "I'll walk"

"All the way in this snow?!" Billy looked concerned. "Isn't it too cold? I mean... Will you be alright? I could ask Mom to give you a lift!"

"Thank you, but no need for that" declined the saurian "I can manage myssself jussst fine. Sssay, Billy, do you like dinosssaursss? Want to asssissst me in my next exxxperiment?"

"Woah, woah, wait jusst a ssecond there!" The Lizard instantly lifted his head from the coach, alerted. "What iss the ssudden idea?!"

"It isss perfectly sssafe" the Doctor assured with absolute self-confidence, gently wrapping his tail around the little mammal. "He will be only watching, mossst of the time"

"That'ss what you told me when you sstarted working on your fossilss too, wassn't it? How can a fossil possibly harm anyone?"

"I know, right? I wasss sssurprisssed too! Who could have thought the genome would fracture in jussst the right place to be compatible with my DNA by pure coincccidenccce! The chacesss of that! I'd call that Fate"

"No, Billy, don't go with him. Thiss guy doessn't know what he iss ssaying. And he doessn't follow the ssafety proceduress" his father said firmly, but Billy was already laughing. For a second there he almost wondered what it would be like to be a reptile if something like that happened to him as well, but quickly tossed the idea. It was just too weird. Then again, these two didn't look like they changed all that much in the end. Perhaps, in small ways that were harder to notice, but they were clearly good friends.

"May be when I am older" Billy replied finally with a mischievous smile. "I wouldn't want to grow a tail before I finish school"

[+]

Soon after, Stegron made his way back to the door, putting his poor excuse of a disguise back on and throwing the purple trench coat over the dorsal plates to hide them the best he could, likely more for conserving his heat than for actual disguise. Thanks to those plates, even the baggy coat was a tight fit on his chest. The leg-paws and tail were also a dead giveaway for anyone with at least half a decent eyesight. The Doctor stopped midway to the exit to give his farewell to the family, especially to the young Billy who came closer this time to see him out. Stegron knelt down to him again, still towering over the little boy as he ruffled his hair with a massive paw.

"Will Dr Stegron come to visit us again?" Billy asked his father in high hopes, when the door closed behind the guest.

"Perhapss" replied Connors with some uneasiness. "But, hopefully, not too often" he continued with a wry smile. "He can be a bit of pain, right?"

"No, not really" Billy beamed back. "I think he was great!"

[+]

Stegron stumbled into the doorway, his clawed feet taking him up the stairs into the flat while his mind was elsewhere. A concerned gaze of the old lady who lived a floor below followed his hulking figure, but she said nothing, minding her own business as was the rule here, and Stegron paid her no attention either. He couldn't help feeling down, thinking about the dinner and how warm and comfortable the Lizard's flat had been, how welcoming and nice his family was, and how much they cared for Connors. Vincent, on the other hand…

The saurian pushed the door looking in silence at the unkempt apartment. The rugs on the floor lay at random, most were old and dirty, with obvious claw marks of fluff missing. The sofa was creaky, starring plenty of holes in it even before the resident Doctor started adding a few more. The walls were painted with cheap paint and had no wallpaper. There were a few cracks here and there, and the ceiling was leaking when there was heavy rain. A tin bucket under the spot was the unfortunate reminder of that. The lamps were only for show and the only real source of light had been the giant window, where Stegron spent most of his time, reading and doing workouts.

Truth be told, he didn't need much these days and his current hideout was more of a shelter for him than an actual home, but after having been to his friend's house, he simply couldn't help grieving at the vast contrast and picturing the comfort that could have been. At the time it was the only place he could get. The landlord proudly declared over the phone that she didn't care if an alligator lived here as long as it paid the rent, and he took her up on that promise. For the time he also didn't think he minded the occasional inconvenience that much, but right now for some reason was the first time he felt truly miserable.

Stegron made his way in and threw the hat and the coat on a nearby chair, leaving himself completely naked as he did so, save for the bracers, for now, and walked to the window. He always disliked the feeling of clothes on his scales and even in chilly winter he would only tolerate a disguise for so long.

With a sigh he made his way to the coach and dropped face down on it, the furniture squeaking in plea for mercy under his weight, but expectedly ignored. It was a long day and one that gave him more food for thought than he welcomed. He thought that he had long since fully accepted his dinosaur self, that he'd stopped regretting and dwelling on what has become of him, but for some reason in this moment he felt so truly and utterly alone and he couldn't explain why…


	4. Part 4

A few days later…

At Martha's insistence, she and Curt were now deep inside the Forest Park's eastern portion, 165 acres of trees and no-one else around. Not surprising given that the temperature hadn't climbed at all, still stubbornly slightly below freezing even in this cloudless day. Also unsurprising was that Doctor Connors remained tightly wrapped up, the heavy overcoat almost to the ankles, scarf, gloves and boots able to keep enough heat trapped inside so he could tolerate the cold. True, his size alone allowed for some kind of temperature control even with his being cold-blooded, the lower surface area to volume ratio helping him to hold more of it in for longer. As such even in the Winter Months, a morning shower was usually enough to help see him through the day.

It was after they picked a spot, a good ways off the usual trail and set up their picnic that Curt spoke.

"Martha? Why did you inssisst that I come here like, thiss?" Sitting with one leg stretched out and the other pulled up, his green-scaled leg could be made out. Indeed, the thick picnic blanket was all that kept his scales off the snow. "I feel, like…"

"…Stegron?" Martha finished the question, confirming his suspicions. "He may be hiding it, or he might not have even noticed it. But I think he is quite lonely."

"Why do you think that?" Certainly Curt's experience with the fellow reptilian doctor suggested to him that he seemed fine.

"Think about it this way. You've tried so hard to keep it all inside, bottling up your instincts and desires to remain with us, to secure your job, to keep everyone else around you comfortable. The penalty for this has been to yourself. You try so hard but it keeps building up, the hissing and growling in your sleep from time to time, the claw marks in some of the cushions and pillows. And recently, based on what I found, apparently ripping your clothes right off yourself as well."

Curt gaped open-mouthed. How'd she find out!? He'd made sure he'd hidden the evidence. He was about to try and reply when Martha cut him off with a hand.

"But Dr Stegron is the opposite, he doesn't try to hold it in. From what I saw, and you've described, he lets it all out. His every instinct, his every want. His penalty being that he's isolated himself from anyone who could help him when he needs it. Too many too nervous, fearful around him."

"And are you ssaying that I sshhlould be a little more like him?" Curt's surprise from Martha's earlier revelation that she knew about what he'd done passed, now replaced by curiosity and a very slight apprehension. "A little more willing to…let it out? Iss that why you had me leave the ssweater and pantss, in the housse?"

"In part yes." Martha admitted. "But mainly, it's to help you get at least some idea of what Stegron goes through. The good and bad."

Talk paused while Martha poured the coffee for them, black, remembering what Dr Stegron had mentioned about reptiles having an intolerance for lactose. Without the milk the taste was quite unpleasant for Curt, but he managed a couple of sips without complaint.

"So please tell me. What is it saying right now?" Curt looked at Martha, wondering what she was talking about. "Those instincts you have." She added to clarify.

"Why are you asking thiss now?"

"Just curious, that's all." Martha replied between sips.

Curt needed a couple of moments to think about it, he'd spent so long fighting them back that to try and hear it now took some effort on his part, to hear the faint buzz he sometimes felt at the back of his head, a buzz that had faded very recently. Finally however, he had his answer.

"They're, ssaying that I sshhould, get out of thesse thingss, run free, forget what anyone elsse thinkss. But, more than that, they're telling me to get out of the cold."

Martha tried - but didn't really succeed in - suppressing her giggling at that last part. "I s-suppose that's one thing that didn't change then."

"I guess, not." Curt snorted in trying to hold back his own laughter. "But, iss that all we're here to talk about?"

"A lot of it, but not all. That said, there is one idea I've had that I'd like you to think about." Martha considered her next words. "I believe, that as much as Dr Stegron can help you with those instincts and needs, to help, 'let them out' as you say. You can help him as well. Help him to be a little more, sociable."

"True, he can be quite, abrassive." Curt put it charitably. "Sso what is it that you're ssuggessting?"

"I was thinking, what if you and him, head down to Florida? Our home there, and take a couple of days to yourselves?" Martha made her pitch. "Plus it could give you a chance to, well, you know."

"Uh, Martha? It'ss much further Ssouth, but it'll still be cold there thiss time of year." Curt pointed out. "I don't think I'd enjoy diving into forty-degree water."

"I didn't say it had to be right now." Martha didn't even try to hide her laughing. "Maybe in a few months, when it's warmer. It would give you plenty of time to plan and prepare, and a chance to help Stegron with his, Social Skills."

Curt was silent again, debating the issue inside his mind. There was no doubt he wanted to do it, he'd already told Martha as such, but what held him back was the fear of how others would see it, if he were caught in the act. Then again, if he did erupt as he feared more so, that would easily be far worse. Adding in the chance to help Stegron be a little more sociable, approachable, even as he helped him to let his wilder side out without it being a problem to others.

"I'll think about it, but I'm making no promissess." Curt eventually gave his answer. "And before I make a final deccision, I think it'ss besst to sspeak with Sstegron about it firsst. Ssee what he thinkss."

"Thanks, that's all I can ask." Martha replied warmly. "Now. The coffee's getting cold, and we haven't even started with lunch."


	5. Part 5

It was already half past eight in the morning, but Connors didn't feel like getting up just yet. He lay on his soft bed, a duvet barely covering his lean reptilian body, the door safely locked behind to give him some privacy. He stared blankly into the window deep in thought, the dim winter sun reflecting in the green-hued mosaic of his scales He was replaying in his mind the conversation he had with Martha at the Forest Park and thought about the upcoming trip.

Truth be told, he still shuddered at the thought of what might happen if he ever truly 'let loose' like Martha encouraged him against a better judgment. He never tried to before and he was scared. They didn't understand what he was fighting. They couldn't. He loved them deeply, but they were only humans. They wouldn't know how scary his reptilian side could be with its subtle pushes and eerie nagging thoughts at the back of his mind, lurking deep inside his heart, but never quite within his grasp, like some kind of a monster under the bed.

At that time he said only half the truth about his instincts to put Martha at ease as he didn't want her more worried. He didn't lie about the 'urges' which showed up when something in the environment made him really uncomfortable, like extreme cold, too loud noises or too strong smells, but over time he learned not to give in. He felt like he was the one in control. But he wasn't.

It was small things that scared him the most, ones he knew he had little control over. More than once already he found himself ready to bite when surprised or frightened, hissing in annoyance, even clawing at things when angered. He didn't even realize what he was doing until it was done. So far none of his family was injured, but he knew he couldn't guarantee their safety like this. When he realized just how much he changed, he did his best to warn Martha and Billy not to do any sudden things around him and especially never to approach him from where he couldn't see. Even then he kept reminding them from time to time to take caution for their own safety. Curt was grateful beyond words that they listened so well and never put themselves on his dangerous side, but interacting with other humans sometimes put quite a toll. By the end of a working day in the university he would be drained so much it felt like he just barely escaped from a torture, and he would just drop on his bed and lay still for hours to mentally recover.

He had to be constantly vigilant, consciously positioning himself in a way that would protect the people around him and reminding them to be careful. Yet there always would be some ignorant fools that would want to test their luck despite his warnings! The probation period was as much a test others set for him as he did for himself. It was a difficult life, but Connors was happy. He knew it could be so much worse without all these people around to help him, those who supported him and whom he could trust. And one of them undoubtedly has been Dr Stegron.

Now Connors was worried that he never considered Stegron's experience before that conversation. The orange saurian always looked so confident and self-reliant that it never even crossed Curt's mind that he might have been in need of help. Stegron was always a bit of a loner and it didn't surprise the Lizard that he could hide his feelings really well. Truth be told, Curt had to admit that he didn't even know that much about his friend. He never heard Stegron mentioning his friends or family. Did he even have any?

Looking back at the two years it took him just to come to terms with his new look, Connors shuddered to imagine going through all that alone. Sometimes seeing his own tail at night would still give him nightmares. But Stegron was different. They had vastly different experiences in life. Connors was an honours student, a pioneer researcher and a loved father and husband. Stegron, on the other hand, was a 'problem child', a mad scientist for those who did not understand his theories and a fraud for those who did. No wonder he'd see the accident as a chance to finally get things right. Disappointed in humans and in himself, perhaps he even welcomed the transformation just to get as far from his past as possible.

But did it bring what he sought?

Looking closer at his own experience, Connors heavily doubted that. If anything, it made Stegron only lonelier and angrier, his intimidating size and appearance making everyone fear him, and his dinosaurian instincts cutting what was left of his short temper even shorter.

It scared Curt to realize that if they were to part ways, there would not be a single person left to even talk to Vincent. He probably hadn't realized it yet, but he was getting more feral already and it would only get worse. Curt had to find a way to help him and bring him back into society before it was too late. The trip was supposed to help Connors make truce with his reptilian… 'side effects', but he also decided to use this opportunity to help his friend. First, he'd have to find the true reasons about the saurian's grudge against mammals, but in a very subtle way. Asking him directly would probably only trigger his anger.

Connors slid off the bed and reached out for the phone, his clawed hand pausing on the dial button as he readied himself mentally. He didn't look forward to this. Stegron would most likely go on with his rude remarks like he always did, but Connors had to be calm and patient. He needed this person's help once more and he needed him to let be helped.

[+]

Stegron hanged over a metal rod, suspended with chains to the ceiling, and effortlessly balanced himself on it in such a way as to do pushups by counterbalancing them with his large tail – this helped him work on both his abdominal and tail muscles at the same time, something he appreciated. Naturally, this exercise was not in the books. Most humans did not have a tail or dorsal plates after all, and he had to come up with a few original tricks for his unique anatomy.

Working on his body let him take his mind off the things that worried him as well. However, just doing pushups was getting a little too boring and repetitive after a while, so Stegron entertained himself some more with books as he worked out. The one he was currently reading was "Genetic Links in Paleontology", which was clearly aimed at a less experienced mammalian audience and didn't dig deep enough, no pun intended, into some of the more important nuances, but the book was accurate to a sufficient level in most cases and gave a nice overview of the most recent discoveries to keep Stegron interested and up to date.

Just as he moved to the section of interpretations, a telephone rang. That was a rare occurrence indeed, almost like observing a meteorite. Only two people knew this number – his landlord and his closest friend – Curtis Connors.

Stegron grabbed the rod and did a back flip, landing solidly on his feet-paws.

A few beeps later the Lizard was greeted by a familiar deep rasping voice with a hint of a growl.

"Yesss?" the saurian sounded a little out of breath.

"Hey, Vincent, do you have a minute?"

"Go on"

"Well, you ssee… Martha ssuggessted we drive for a picnic to our ssummer housse in Florida in April. Jusst the two of uss. Would you like to come if you don't have any better planss already?" Curt tried to sound enthusiastic.

"To Florida? In a car? That'sss a long ride!" Stegron said reluctantly, undoubtedly imagining the same kind of uninspiring picture. "Why the pleasssure?"

"The car iss really big, I drive it mysself ssometimess, plenty of sspace, even for ssomeone with tailss. We could have ssome fun, jusst the two of uss, like we ussed to, remember?"

"Well…" Stegron started hesitantly.

"And I thought to assk for your help. You know, I've been doing sstrange thingss lately – at timess I feel more agitated without a reasson, at timess I can't warm up properly in the morningss and then drowse off ssomewhere in the middle of the day, I sshred my clothess on a few occasionss and bent a fork… Honesstly? I am afraid I may hurt ssomeone if I go on. I want to get all thesse insstinctss back under control. Can you help me?"

"Are you sssure you are blaming the right thing? Ssssoundsss to me like your inssstinctsss are jussst fine"

"I am not" Connors concurred. "I cannot explain what iss happening. That'ss why I am assking for your help"

"Fine, I get the idea" Stegron snorted, but continued warmer. "And I know what to do, but I have a demand in return. I know how you are, but If you really want a permanent sssolution, you will do exactly asss I sssay and from the moment we arrive"

"That wass not even a quesstion!" Connors laughed. "Ass pusshy ass ever"

"Glad we underssstand each other" Stegron was also laughing, but tried to hide it. "Sssee you later then"


	6. Part 6

[About four years ago]

 _Day 14. Journal Note N35:  
Swapping the CN1A gene branch in sample 17 has proved to be a success (N = 20, degree of confidence = 95%). It is time to test the method on more complex organisms. The next sample planned for today is a Stegosaurus fossil with remnants of DNA. This one contains 6 almost complete strands of 78 chromosomes broken into groups of about 10 to 20 pairs at a time which indicates 5 to 7 swapping procedures will be required to reconstruct the sequence. _

Doctor Vincent Stegron closed the journal, taking another look at the lovely grayish-brown fossilized bone before him with a number 18 painted on it in a circle to indicate the regenerative serum was already applied to it. If all went well, soon it should absorb the remaining tissue from the fossil and then the most difficult part would begin. Failure was not an option. He didn't have enough material for another sample. It was do or die before everything was lost and, likely, forever.

The future of all dinosaurs was on his shoulders. In just a few moments he would be either the most renowned geneticist in the world or the last fool. The Doctor switched on the equipment and focused the microscope on the fossil, examining the surface that made contact with the serum. A strand was successfully being extracted, but something sparked the researcher's attention. A part of it had pieces of some other DNA, by the looks of it from a fragment of an Allosaurus' claw, crammed over, and the solution was trying to merge them together. Alarmed, Stegron reached out for the off switch, trying to stop the reaction before it was too late to save the sample. Sparks flew and he heard a strange cracking noise. Boom! All of sudden everything went black and silent.

Vincent opened his eyes again in the debris of broken tables and equipment. The room was filled with thick black smoke. Perhaps something was burning. Stegron tried to stand up, but his hand slipped on a gooey substance beneath him. He examined the liquid on his fingers. The papers and floor around him were covered in dark red.

 _"My samples!"_ was the immediate thought of horror, the Doctor realizing his one chance in 65 million years could have been eternally lost in this very moment. Yet in the next moment his suspicions about the nature of this situation started to grow. The area covered with blood looked a little too large for his samples alone. Surely he didn't have that many?

Stegron traced the red stain on his trousers and up to his lab coat with a gaping hole, through which a sharp piece of the fossil was still visible.

 _"Oh. That doesn't look good"_

Was all of this his blood? Surely that much could not fit in one human! Stegron felt the building panic as he gasped for the air, his arms and legs splayed helplessly on the floor over the broken glass and tables. It was not the time to lose control, he needed to stop the blood loss somehow before things got even worse.

 _"Ambulance! A phone!"_

The professor reached out for his phone only to find it broken under one of the tables, smashed in half by the heavy cryogenic refrigerators. Dizzy, the Doctor stood up with the last of his strength and slowly plodded towards the exit, dragging his numbing feet.

It was a cold night and reaching past midnight already. The streets were mostly deserted, but he spotted a couple not far away. He tried to call out to them, only to be stifled by a groan of pain. The man turned his head to the sound, but stepped back immediately, encouraging the girl to speed up.

Stegron made a few more steps, barely aware of his surroundings anymore.

"Help… me…" He coughed, more blood on his hands.

Even this late at night there were some people passing by occasionally, but none of them stopped. The Doctor felt his knees buckle as he neared a bus stop. Stumbling, he dropped to the ground face down, covering the wound with one hand the best he could and writhing in pain. Everything was getting dark and he felt deadly cold creeping up his spine. Another couple went by, and still nobody stopped to help him.

The agony was indescribable. It engulfed him, consumed him, tearing what was left of his mind apart. He was going to die here. So many people around and he was still going to die here, because none of them gave a damn or wanted to get involved. He hated them and hated himself even more for trusting them with the Future. Weren't they supposed to all work together towards a better world? No. Nobody here thought like him. They wanted him dead. The strong ate the weak. He was weak. Nothing changed for millions of years.

Stegron opened his eyes again. There was nobody around. He was still lying a few meters away from the bus stop, cold and dizzy, now also wet from the recent rain, barely aware of anything at this point. A crippling sense of pain and a familiar sticky sensation under his hand quickly reminded him of the past few minutes. Stegron growled and tried to get up. His body felt heavier and slower with every second. That must have been the blood loss. Honestly, he was surprised he was still alive. One thing he knew for sure, he didn't want to die here, he couldn't! He would fight for his life even if it was the last thing he did.

He needed treatment. But where to go? A hospital? He didn't know of any nearby. Then it clicked. Buckham. Of course! David Buckham lived nearby and his wife was a surgeon. They could help him!

Very slowly Stegron rose, supporting himself against the wall with one hand. His mind was hazy and legs didn't hold him well. He could hardly stand, let alone walk, but Vincent was determined not to give up. He would crawl all the way to his friend's house if he had to.

Now he definitely felt noticeably bigger. His baggy clothes wrapped him two or three sizes short and the boots also painfully so. Barely conscious of what he was doing, the Doctor only knew instinctually he had to get them off, now. With a painful wince he forced himself to stand on his toes, hunching slightly in what strangely appeared to be a more comfortable position. And then there was another very painful event happening at his lower back as he was experiencing a very unpleasant sensation he could only describe as getting longer, but Stegron was already in too much pain to dwell too much on it. He couldn't even say the decision to rip his pants back then was entirely conscious, but the relief that followed gave him some time to catch a breath.

Stegron coughed again and slowly made his way to his friend's house, so exhausted that he could barely lift his feet enough to go up the stair. He stood in front of the door, his back against the fencing and breathing loudly in pain as he hammered at the door, when a new spasm punctured his back and face.

"David! David, open up!" He pleaded in tears, barely recognizing his own voice now.  
"Pleassse! I need your help!"

The door creaked and there was a scream of horror. Stegron stood dumbstruck as he saw his friend reaching out for a gun and pointing it at him.

"David?" were his last words as a gunshot echoed through the night. The saurian stumbled back in surprise and fell to the ground as more blood splashed on the stairs…

Stegron woke up in a cell with no trace of his wounds. He heard two guards discussing in the other room a monster who attacked a family in their neighborhood in the middle of the night and how a scientist, who courageously protected his family, shot him and already requested the creature's corpse for research.

The nerve of this jerk! And this was a mammal he considered his friend!

Stegron scrambled back to his feet, the body still feeling weird and mismatched, much heavier and noticeably larger than he was used to, his movements sluggish and clumsy at first as he struggled just to remain upright. Then he remembered to use his tail for balance and everything fell in place.

 _"A tail?"_ Stegron thought back in a bit of surprise. There it was, right behind him, long and thick, with four sharp spikes facing sideways. His awareness was still a bit slow to follow, not quite up to date with past events. What had happened? Was that his?

The Doctor looked down. From how far the floor appeared, he could estimate himself as easily over seven feet tall! His massive body was completely clad in tough orange scales, the hue going to creamy-yellow on the chest and abdomen, encasing the thick hard muscles underneath. His legs looked nothing like what he remembered and hands had only three digits each, ending with deadly sharp talons. The Doctor gawked in surprise.

"What was that? Did you hear?" came the immediate response from the guards.

So they wanted his corpse to experiment on, like some lab rat? They wanted him shackled and caged away in a cell? No. He would never accept that. He couldn't stay in this filthy place any longer. Stegron was handcuffed in what appeared to be gold-coloured bracers, a symbol of his place in the eyes of humans, but they looked laughably weak. The chains tore effortlessly. He turned to the door. This was not going to hold him either. He grabbed the bars and tore the metal lock out with his claws. Just as he stepped outside, the guards came running. They screamed and fired guns at him, but bullets did no harm to his armoured hide.

Why did they attack him? He did nothing wrong to these people!

"Ssstupid mammalssss!"

In his anger Stegron sent them flying with a swing of his tail on the way to the exit.

The moon was still up, a gentle breeze brushing his scales and bringing a whole pallet of unusual smells he was previously unaware of, his instincts pushing him into a cautious exploration to see what they were. He should have known this area well, but he couldn't quite place it – there was a hint of familiarity, but everything looked strange, smaller and more vividly coloured now. Perhaps he was the strange one instead – the heightened senses only adding to the confusion in the saurian's head as he struggled to orient himself.

Stegron's mind was a mess. He couldn't explain it, but he knew strange things. He remembered being something else entirely, a creature called Vincent Stegron. He remembered a laboratory and a research gone horribly wrong. He remembered humans that betrayed him, that tried to kill him even when he did nothing wrong. Why did they attack? Did they hate him? What for?

The answer was as clear as the new colours to him now: they were an enemy species, the kind that would hurt another for no reason. They did not need a reason after all - it was in their very nature, in their instincts to hate one another. Mammals and reptiles never got along well.

The saurian took a step back. He was tormented by many contradictory feelings, his thoughts seemingly in dissonance with his memories. Some said reptiles did not have feelings, did not have emotions. They couldn't be more wrong.

Disappointment. Betrayal. Loneliness. Perhaps they were different too, not quite like a human's, but Stegron certainly felt things he could not easily put into words or cries. It felt a bit like getting suddenly bitten by a soulmate, kicked out of the pack and left to die in a swamp for no apparent reason. A pretty bad feeling, that was. And all of it was humans' fault.


	7. Part 7

"Sssorry, but could you pull over for a while?" Stegron spoke up shortly after they passed by the last group of homes before the Connors' Florida House.

"Again?" Dr Connors demanded, though not without understanding why he needed to get out the car.

Now marked four days since they'd set off from New York to the Connors Family Home here in the Florida Everglades. Four days of long hours squeezed together in a car that despite its size, wasn't build to handle a man-sized lizard and Stegosaurian side-by-side, in fact Dr Stegron had been forced to lower his backrest to level with the seat base thanks to his dorsal plates. Thankfully he hadn't complained too much, though Connors suspected that that was on account of why they were coming here in the first place.

"There'ss a ssmall sstretch of beach not too far from here. We can sstop for a while there." Connors offered as he turned off the road and onto a well-beaten track.

"Thanksss." Inwardly Dr Connors was pleased by Dr Stegron's improving manners.

In the months before now, after Stegron had agreed to help Connors with his own issues, he in turn had been teaching Stegron how to be more sociable. True, Stegron was even before his accident an introvert, but since then had become rather antisocial thanks to the way he'd been treated afterwards, small wonder then that these days Connors wasn't too surprised by the abrasive attitude he'd shown.

And while Stegron did still - and likely always would in Connors opinion - prefer to go around in just his scales, he had since with his help secured some things to wear from the same tailor he'd used for his own new clothes. Namely some good shorts and trousers that Stegron could wear at more formal settings, allowances made for the dorsal plates and digitigrade feet that made shirts, shoes and the likes too much of a hassle for him.

"That'ss uss here now." Connors announced once he brought the car to a halt and killed the engine.

"Finally." Stegron groaned once he was out of the metal confines, stretching his limbs with an audible pop.

It wasn't really a beach in the usual sense, being in fact a strip of quite soft earth between the trees to one side and the river on the other. And other than himself and Stegron, unoccupied. Despite some similarity in being a mix of human and reptile as they walked along, at first glance they would still appear to be completely different.

Where Stegron walked on his toes, Connors weight rested on his heels. Rough, uneven orange and tan scales to even green. Stegron built like a tank, Connors much leaner and more agile, although both were still far stronger and with much greater endurance than any human. And while Connors was fully dressed with only the scales on his head and hands visible, all of Stegron's were there to be seen.

Which was something he intended to take care of right now.

"Before we go any further, there'sss sssomething you need to do." Stegron spoke up, stopping to turn and face Connors.

"And that iss?"

"Your clothesss, take them off, now."

"Now?" Connors was a little perplexed by Stegron's instruction. "It'ss sstill at leasst another half-hour'ss drive before we get to the housse."

"I made it very clear that the lessssonsss begin the inssstant we arrive." Stegron hissed. "And that meansss the inssstant we arrive. We're not taking another ssstep until you're down to your ssscalesss."

That, that had been the moment Connors had been dreading the entire trip, to take the critical step of stripping himself down and remaining naked for the entirety of their stay. To him, it felt too much like surrendering to his more primal urges, his hidden desires. But hadn't that been part of the problem? Constantly bottling them up so they never had any release? Building up as time passed? Threatening to spill out?

Only recently had he considered that rather than trying to fight his urges, his new instincts, he should at least try to learn how to live with them. Thus, despite his trepidation, he pulled one arm out of the sweater sleeve, then the other, though the lab coat he nearly always wore when outside the house he kept on for the moment.

"And what do I do with thiss?" Connors wanted to know once it was in his hand, the car some distance from them at the moment.

"Jussst drop it where you ssstand, the pantsss too." Stegron grunted, a small scowl forming when Connors hesitated a moment before complying.

To say that Dr Curt Connors was becoming nervous at what he was doing would be quite the understatement with only the lab coat covering his arms and back once the shoes were kicked free, and Stegron himself wondered for a brief instant if he were pushing too hard, a thought he dismissed just as quickly. When they agreed to help each other, he for one had certainly meant it, and Connors had shown the same willingness. So despite his awareness at how harsh he was sounding, Stegron pressed on.

"Lossse the Lab Coat now, leave it with the ressst, then walk over to me."

This was it. Now the arms were out and holding the coat for just another moment, he couldn't help but stare at them. At first glance they really did seem to lack any real power to them, but he was well aware of what he could do with them if he wanted, not just how much weight they could lift, how much force they could exert, but how quickly, and for how long if needs be.

With hesitant steps, he left his clothes in a scattered pile a little too close to the river for his liking and approached Stegron, who now had switched to a more approving stare.


	8. Part 8

"All right" Connors exhaled, standing opposite Stegron with his arms crossed and head tilted upwards to meet the saurian's eyes. They were bright emerald green today, a hint of curiosity and meticulously examining, the slit pupils just a little wider than usual. Perhaps, he was in a good mood. Yet he sure looked every bit as scary when you had to look up at him. It also felt a little awkward to go through this with neither of them having any clothes on. Perhaps more so for Curt than for Stegron.

"It iss my turn to teach you now. Firsst, take a sstep back, pleasse" he coughed.

Stegron's height hardly helped the conversation when he was towering over you even if the reptile did not have any ill intent.

"Actually, pleasse take two more" he corrected himself, watching the dinosaur man slowly retreat another bit further. "Mosst people would feel threatened looking sso high up when you are closse" he explained. "A bit of disstancce helpss to sset the converssation on more equal termss. Keeping it on an eye level is esspecccially important. Jusst remember to give people ssome sspacce. They may not physsically need it ass much ass you do, but they would appreciate it nonethelesss"

Stegron seemed surprisingly obedient today and didn't even counter with anything.

"And a few words about your temper" the Lizard continued, raising a hand before the dinosaur man could object, as he anticipated. "I know firssthand you have very little patiencce, but what you are doing iss not right! Threatening people to comply with you out of fear is not how human converssationss work. Don't do that! I undersstand how you may feel frusstrated at the length of time it takess for everyone to get your point, but not everyone iss ass ssmart ass you! There iss no shortcut here! Adding a few polite wordss here and there can alsso help you reducce the tenssion. Don't jusst jump at people like you are about to sslice their headss off when they don't agree! Take your time. Let them talk. Remember about the disstancce and try to lissten to what they have to ssay firsst"

"I get it, I get it" Stegron snorted with clear irritation.

"Jolly good then!" Connors smiled, weighing it wise to drop the topic at that and let Vincent think about it later. "I only wanted you to know that I care and worry about you. Whether you want it or not, you will have to communicate with humanss. Thiss iss how the world iss, and the besst I can do for you iss help make thosse interactionss a little more possitive. We don't want people sscreaming and running away from you when you come out to buy a newsspaper, do we?"

Stegron made another indistinct sound. With some debate, Curt chalked it up closer to agreeing. Sometimes he had a hard time telling.

"And one last thing. I know you absolutely detest wearing clothes, and you have no qualms with everyone having a good view of what you are. I am fine with that too" Connors continued. "However, having at leasst ssomething to cover you from time to time could make connecting to people sso much eassier. In fact, I already ordered a pair of sshortss for you before we came here. They are in the car. Conssider them a gift"

"Thanksss" Stegron growled without enthusiasm. Curt didn't expect any.

That would have to do. Connors was quite pleased with Stegron's progress so far, but he could only hope it would not all come in one ear hole and out of the other when the actual situation would arise.

"You are mosst welcome! Well, I am sstarving!" the Lizard said, grinning as much as his snout would let him without showing too many teeth. "I remember you came to like meat, sso I brought some with uss. Hope you don't mind a steak? I have a sspare fork too..."

"No. Clawsss only"

Connors was about to object, but one look at the larger reptile was all it took for him to sigh in defeat. Just how could one argue with that?! They were friends of course, but he was so much bigger! Perhaps, deep down Connors was still instinctively just a little afraid of him. Truth be told, he already agreed to this on the phone and had no rights to complain now, not four days into the journey, though he did not quite understand how all of this was going to help him: staying just in his scales, without even most basic tools or clothes, hunting and fishing for food - Curt dreaded what else was yet to come. At times he was certain Stegron did this to observe him, to test him, only to find he was doing the same thing without but a look in Curt's direction when he most expected one. Did Stegron really simply consider all of this normal and not even 'training'? Vincent always loved field trips and hiking, hence his more toned and muscular build, but ever since turning saurian he really took some of that to the extreme, perhaps even taking enjoyment in his newfound power. The thought was so alien to the cold-blooded Doctor - to enjoy this hideous form that was the result of all his past mistakes, but one he did not wish to abandon just yet.

[+]

It was the first morning that the two reptiles met in Curt's Florida residence, the mist, dew and chill gradually retreating as the day warmed up enough for Curt to go out. Stegron waited outside while Connors would stretch and take his routine morning sunbath to warm up. Curt called him when he felt enough energy stored for the day and that he was ready to go.

"Sso… What do we do today?" the Lizard asked innocently.

"I don't know. Jussst go around and do your lizard thingsss. Isssn't that what you came here to do?"

"That'ss it? And that would be…?" he asked in hopes for a hint.

"How would I know? You are the Lizard, not me, jussst follow your inssstinctssss"

Connors looked at Stegron with some surprise, taken aback by this sudden development. Was he supposed to figure that out himself? Curt had no idea where to start. Read books? Watch TV? Listen to some music? What did lizards even do on holidays? He never paid much attention to a lizard's free time when he was studying them in the lab. For the most part it seemed like they were just hanging around.

Curt stood in uncertainty for another moment and then took a seat.

"I really have no idea" Curt finally admitted, his head down in defeat.

"Don't you jussst... 'know'? The thingsss you do right away, without thinking. That'sss what inssstinctsss are. You do not learn them or train them, you jussst have them. All creaturesss do. I can't believe you really have no idea" Stegron uttered somehow between a growl and a laugh. "It would be laughable, Connorsss, if it wasssn't ssso pitiful" he added more like a snort. "I cannot imagine how you sssurvived up till now"

Stegron turned around, making his way to the door, the spiked tail swinging dangerously close to a cupboard, but arched just in time to miss it. He was getting better with knowing where it was.

"Do what your heart isss telling you" was Stegron's advice as he walked out. "Don't act like a lizard, be the lizard, feel what it isss like to be one. Do you want to ssstay and have another sssun bath? Do you feel like having sssome water? Or maybe exploring the foressst? Lisssten in to your real Sssself"

Easy for him to say! What was he supposed to hear besides the occasional birds chirping in the forests around? Without any better ideas, Curt decided to head for the woods and may be find those birds for a lack of a better entertainment. Would a lizard do that? He didn't know. Staying in would be too boring and he had warmed himself up more than enough for a bit of a trip, feeling quite fresh and energized.

As he walked outside, Curt was about to call Stegron and ask to join him, but was surprised to see the other reptile nowhere around. Not even ten seconds have passed and Vincent had already managed to vanish into thin air. Perhaps he considered his part done and headed over to hunt or gather some wood for the fire.

Connors stretched his scaly limbs in anticipation of something he'd been quite looking forward to for the past few months. Very soon he was about to find out what he experienced in his dream felt like in reality. With nobody around, just him and nature, he finally felt completely free of unwanted gazes and may be just a little happy. There was nobody around for miles he could accidentally hurt. Well, except Stegron. But that one he didn't have to worry about. He doubted he could hurt him even if he wanted. Smiling, he dashed into the canopy like a blur, completely unaware of the green saurian eyes keenly observing him from the roof.

 _"I cannot believe after all these years you don't even know how your senses work. Lizards use their tongue to taste the air, not the nose. Even I know that!"_ Stegron sighed, seeing his friend happily leap up a branch. _"You still have ways to go, Connors, but the route might be much longer than I imagined"_

The huge reptile jumped down, softening the impact to make it silent. There was no need to follow Curt yet, Stegron thought, he knew everything about his own senses and was confident he could find him any time he wanted. Let the Lizard enjoy his freedom for now. The real training will start tomorrow.


	9. Part 9

"Sso what hass been the point of all thiss?" Connors demanded while they trudged through the thick foliage, their earlier run slowed from his growing tired.

"I've already told you. It'sss to help you underssstand yourssself better." Stegron grunted in annoyance.

"And how doess thiss help?!" Connors snapped, stopping. "Sso far it'ss been nothing but running around thiss placce! Eating with my handss! And doing all of it naked! Sso how iss thiss ssuppossed to help me!?"

Stegron turned to face him, becoming exasperated himself at Connors complaints when he noted the state he was in. His hunched stance, ragged breathing, a shaking hand on the tree next to him while trying to scrape a bit of the mud that had collected between his toes loose. Taking deep steadying breaths, he worked to calm himself down and think of the best way to approach the matter.

"Connorsss." Stegron began once he worked out the words. "There'sss been more to thisss than jussst wearing you down. Thessse passst three daysss I've alssso been watching you. Not jusst what you've been doing, but how you've gone about it."

"What? What do you mean?"

"When you've been running through thisss placcce, and the weight lifting, and everything elssse, you tend to ssstop and try to think it through, rather than jussst doing it."

"It'ss the way I am." Connors cut in.

"I know, but that'sss been the problem ssso far. You're ssstill not lissstening to your inssstinctsss, ssstill trying to use consscciousss thought all the time." Stegron explained as carefully as he could manage. "Jussst yesssterday, I watched you run into the foressst from the roof." This revelation did make Connors start, less at realising that Stegron had actually seen him acting on his dream when he made his run through the forest, and more that he never noticed that he'd been watched.

"You could have usssed your tongue to tell where I wasss. A Lizard'sss meansss of detecting sssmellsss and ssccentsss isss with their tonguesss, not their nossstrilsss. Even to the point of molecular precccisssion and direction. That would have told you exxxactly where I wasss, yet you never usssed thossse sssensssesss." Stegron, satisfied that Connors understood from his expression moved to the point of his training regime. "Thisss iss why I've been sssubjecting you to thisss. Wearing you down ssso your mind isss forccced to act more on inssstinct rather than rational thought. To allow you to become usssed to them, to learn to let them guide you and sshhow you what you are truly capable of."

A deep growl sounded from behind Stegron which he immediately spun on the spot to face it's source. A large alligator native to the area mere feet away, and making threatening noises towards the two bipedal reptiles. As Stegron shifted to face it side-on, his tail swaying, the Thagomizers that tipped it brushing against the lower-hanging branches, Connors had leapt up the nearest tree, out of its reach.

'What are you doing!?' Connors furiously processed the scene before him from the relative safety of the tree he clung to.

Didn't Stegron know about the strength held in an alligator's jaws, that the largest alligators and crocodiles had enough power in the muscles controlling them to clamp down on their prey with over a ton? That the best way to avoid this was to keep it shut since they had far less strength to open them? To the point that an average human could keep it shut? It certainly didn't appear to be the case since Stegron currently had his side to it, swinging his spiked tail, aiming for the head.

When Stegron made his next swing, seemingly intending to punch a hole through it, it swung its head and caught the incoming attack, pinning Stegron where he was. Then made its own move to claim its meal.

"Vinccent!"

During the tussle, the gator had been backing away, towards the body of water. Now with a series of flaps of its own tail, spinning, dragging Stegron beneath the water with it.

'No!' Stegron thrashed underwater, desperately trying to orient himself even as he was spun around, the reptile trying to tear off a piece of him.

The gator wouldn't be able to, even with its powerful jaws, but the kay threat to him was the diminishing oxygen in his lungs. If he didn't surface for a breath soon he would lose consciousness, death would follow soon if he wasn't pulled out.

Acting on instinct, he twisted himself in the opposing direction to halt the spinning while striking out with his still-free feet, more often than not missing his target, though the few that did were cutting into his assailant, leaving deep gashes across its jaw and head that would be slow to heal. The last one dangerously close to its eye, forcing it to release its prey and back off.

One threat taken care of, now Stegron fought to find the surface. It was fortunate for him that the water was still relatively clear and shallow, making sighting the sun through it easy enough for him to get a fix on which way he was facing. With his tail pressing down on the river floor, he could get enough of his head clear to release the staled air and take in a deep nourishing breath through his nostrils.

Without his lungs stinging, Stegron could look around properly and find the bank a little over an arm's length from him. Twisting to face it, he allowed himself to drop beneath the surface once more, toppling forwards to secure a grip on the bank under the water, and from there, dig into it with his claws to pull himself to safety.

"That'll teach him who's Top of the Food Chain around here." Stegron hissed once he was firmly on dry land. "So how are you feeling Curt?" He asked Connors, only to realised he wasn't on the ground.

He was actually above him, tail wrapped around the truck and holding onto the nearest branches.

"That'sss more like it." Stegron approvingly nodded with what had to be a grin on his face.

"Exxcusse me?" Connors asked, not moving from where he clung on.

"Thisss time you acted. You didn't wassste time thinking and jussst acted on inssstinct." Stegron explained. "In thisss cassse, you leapt out of the immediate danger having recognisssed that gator asss a threat. That inssstinct isss what'sss allowed you to keep your grip by picking the bessst holdsss for you to take."

Thinking about it now, Stegron made a good point. Without even thinking about it his tail had secured a solid grip on the trunk to hold him up, clawed feet dug into the bark to help, while his hands held the branches to keep him steady.

"Thisss isss only the firssst ssstep, but you're beginning to learn about them now, your inssstinctsss." Stegron added. "We'll take sssome ressst for now, then get back to it."

[+]

"Ssso." Stegron hissed, standing tall with his arms crossed and tail swaying slowly behind him, his expression stern. "What have you learned?"

"That I fail ass both a human and a lizard?" Connors laughed. "No, sserioussly. I am sstarting to ssee thingss that I never knew were there, it iss like a whole different world! I do feel much better too, even if a little tired right now. All thiss tenssion and sstress, gone! And all thankss to you! Although when I told you to have ssome fun, thiss wass not quite what I had in mind…" he rubbed his aching arms from the last weight lifting "But I ssure learned a lot. About the world. About mysself. About you too, I ssuposse."

"And now we come a full cccircle back to your quesssstion." Stegron's eyes narrowed. "The way you behaved, were your inssstinctssss at fault? What do you think now?"

"I guesss… not?" Connors replied a little cautiously. Only now had he noticed that for the entirety of their stay never once in these seven days had he experienced anything akin to what was torturing him back in New York. He couldn't say that he didn't feel angry at Stegron, nor that he didn't feel scared of that alligator, but yet his reaction was completely different to what he'd expect.

"Sstrangely, I never felt like doing any of what I told you about while I wass here, if that'ss what you are assking. Truth be told, I undersstand even lesss now what wass that whole deal back then. I sseem… fine! It iss all very confussing." he admitted.

"Your inssstinctsss are toolsss." Stegron explained. "A bad wielder usssesss hisss toolsss for bad thingsss, the toolsss do not define the wielder. Although, to sssome extent they direct usss towardsss sssome thingsss and away from otherssss. They are neither good, nor bad, they are jussst a part of you. You, are the one who decccidesss what to do. Did I make you angry at any point?"

Connors raised a thick brow. Was this a provocative question?

"Did you attack me then?" Stegron pressed on.

"I would never…!" Connors cut fiercely in defense.

"Exxxactly" Stegron grinned. "You had all the reasssonssss, yet you did not. And don't tell me your human consssioussssnesss held you back, becaussse I jusssst told you how I wasss limiting it. How do you explain that? Did you ssstop thinking of me asss your friend?"

"No, of coursse not." Connors sighed, but the point was taken. It made him think. Perhaps, in his bizarre way, Stegron wanted to show him that he had nothing to fear, that he could just be himself, his whole self, and nobody would have to suffer from that.

"I don't know…" the Lizard continued with some doubt. "With other people it isss different"

"Why sssso?" Stegron looked honestly surprised. "Only, you, make it different. If you don't think of me asss an enemy, you will not attack, inssstinctsss or not. That isss becaussse you know we are friendssss, don't you? It mattersss not what you are. How isss that different from everyone elssse?"

"Oh."

If there was a moment of enlightenment in Connor's life, this must have been the closest to it. Finally everything was falling in place, all the unanswered questions, all the doubts and fears he had. They all started to make sense.

"You mean to ssay… if I do not think of ssomething ass harmful to me… I will not bite or anything?"

"Well, that'sss the gissst of it, yessss." Stegron nodded. "Your clothesss irritated you, sssso you ssshred them. You were uncomfortable with forksss, ssso you bent them. It isss natural, after all, and wasss cryssstal clear to me, but you do not accept even that. I wanted you to put your human idealsss away, if only for a ssshort time. All of it wasss for thisss sssole purposssse. But it goesss deeper. Most of all, you feared yourssself. Your inssstinctsss do not know what that isss though, it isss a very human way of thinking, and with no outlet you had nothing but 'fear' inssside. Not of the otherssss, but of yourssself. You acted like that becaussse you felt threatened. That wasss why I wanted you to feel more comfortable with who and what you are."

"I ssee…" Connors said with a smile. "Sso that wass the problem. I guess, that meanss my family wass never in danger then? I love them deeply, you know. I have nothing more important in life and I wass afraid the Lizard, I, wass going to ruin it all, again."

"Ssstop worrying and everything will be fine. They are sssafe with you."

The Lizard smiled back with relief. It was something he always wanted to hear deep in his heart, but now those words held some serious weight behind them, the weight he put himself with all his hard work. He was a different creature now, but he would always remain the same person, was what his friend wanted to say. With this he could finally be at peace even with the occasional quirks. Curt smiled wider and more sincerely, unafraid to show his rows of sharp teeth. He really was a Lizard after all. But he was also Curt Connors.


	10. Part 10

The early morning sun rose over the Florida Everglades, a faint mist from the night's rain hanging over the landscape. In one house, a long walk from any other, the occupants were beginning to wake.

Doctor Curtis Connors and Doctor Vincent Stegron.

This was their eighth and final day at the Connors' Florida Home, the plan being to leave mid-morning, and be back in New York four days later. Two weeks he'd be separated from Martha, and Billy once they returned. Seven days worth of learning to come to terms with what he was, and what it meant. And…if he were to be honest with himself, he felt fine now. Pushing himself up to sitting, the early morning sun coming through the window to be soaked up by all his green scales.

"Ah." He chuckled quietly once he was warmed up, and more alert. Enough to realise that he'd spent the night sleeping above the covers rather than below as he usually did.

A few minutes later and he was ready, ready to start the day's work before they headed back to New York.

[+]

"Ssso how'sss thisss experienccce been?" Stegron asked him once breakfast was done.

"To be honesst. It'ss been, pretty good." Connors admitted, smiling as best as his stiff snout would permit. "I actually do feel quite, alive."

"Sssee?" Stegron held back a laugh. "Didn't I sssay that thisss isss sssomething that you'd come to appreccciate?"

"Don't presss your luck. I may have become rather a lot more comfortable with thiss than I wass." He spread his arms to display that like Stegron, he too was currently devoid of clothing, though his action had some humour in it. "And I am coming to termss with thiss sside of me." Connors paused a moment as he sat down opposite Stegron.

"After all that wass the problem, wassn't it? Sseeing The Lizard asss being a sseparate entity, and not ssimply being a part of me." That had been the hard part to admit. Not least to himself. "Back to point, it'ss been nicce, our time here, being able to relax like thiss, and jusst uss sspending ssome time together away from work. But thiss issn't how I intend to pressent mysself from now on."

He held up a hand to cut Stegron off before he could make a retort. "Nor do I intend to be asss I wass before. Thiss, I'll sstart making time for, when there'ss the privacy for me to do it."

"I might have to ssstart inviting you to my flat more often then." Stegron didn't hold back his laughter this time.

"That would be nicce." Connors replied, more than relieved that his old friend was beginning to open up a little. "And maybe in the Ssummer, me and Martha could sspend a little while in the woodlandss." He added, turning his head to look in its direction despite the wall being in the way.

Stegron didn't say anything in response. Inwardly, he was pleased that Connors was starting to accept himself as what he was, instead of trying to be what he used to be.

"And in the final analyssiss, thiss iss for the besst." Connors continued. "I mean, I've been thinking about thiss for a while now. How much worsse it could be."

"Excussse me?" Stegron didn't like it when Connors went off on these tangents.

"Imagine, had thiss," he pointed to his face. "been reverssed, and there had been a consstant back-and-forth. I'm, not ssure I even want to know what that could've done."

"Pleassse, don't go there." Stegron cut in. "You'll likely find it'sss not a good thing to conssstantly worry about thessse what-ifsss. Essspecially the depressssing onesss."

"Ssorry about that." Connors apologised. "Lasst one I promisse. Or if, let'ss ssay, I flushed my attemptss to find a meanss to reversse it down the drain, and a group of normal lizardss, and the likess in the ssewerss and sstorm drainss, ingested it?"

"What? A bunch of them become like you? And ssstart calling you, Father? Or sssomething like that?" Stegron did find that one to be funny at least, something shared by Connors as he held a hand to his snout.

"Yess…I ssuposse that would be, quite ridiculouss." A couple of moments passed as they laughed at the idea Connors had put into their heads.

"Well." Connors rose once he calmed down. "There'ss a few thingss that need to be done before we can head back to New York. May asss well get sstarted."

[+]

The Power turned off, everything locked up tight, the interior hidden, the car packed and ready with all their belongings they'd brought with them, Stegron waiting outside for Connors as he took one last look around to be sure he'd forgotten nothing.

Satisfied that everything was in order, Connors put his shoes on for the first time in over a week, the feeling of the material pressing against his feet a little unsettling, which he chalked up to being a result of the time he'd spent barefoot. Picking up the keys, he joined his Saurian friend outside, locking the door for the next few months before heading to the car, not immediately noticing the stifled laugh coming from Stregon.

"Iss, ssomething the matter?" Connors couldn't help but ask when he did see it, just before opening the car door.

"No. Not really." Stegron replied after an effort, his back to Connors as so to slide his tail into the car before the rest of him followed. Connors doing likewise before the engine purred to life and they began their long ride back. "It'sss jussst, having sssaid that that'sss not how you will presssent yourssself, that'sss exactly what you're doing right now."

"What?" What was Stegron talking about? This was the thought that dominated Connors as he checked himself over, wondering just what Stegron could find so hilarious about him. Except of course for being a man-sized lizard, the breeze caressing his scales.

What?

Acutely aware that something was off, he checked himself over. A green scaled hand, on the car roof, those same scales running up his arms, down his torso, and across his legs and tail.

And nothing to cover them with.

"Sstegron!" Connors near-screeched. Snorting laughter, his only response.


	11. Part 11

It was the third day of driving back from Florida. Stegron stoically endured the hardships of travel so far, rarely complaining about his crammed legs, stiff tail or aching back due to the lack of movement in this rather uncomfortable position. Though he enjoyed the warmer climate down South, the saurian had to admit he was fairly certain to decline the next offer to ride this far in the future.

In prehistoric world large size was a matter of survival. The math was simple: small creatures can't eat you and anything smaller is at your mercy if you can catch it. Of course Stegron was only part dinosaur, a hybrid, not even nearly as large as his ancient brethren got, but even that much was seemingly scratching the borders of what was acceptable by humans. The dinosaurian Doctor commonly found himself in frustratingly narrow areas, usually also surrounded by lots of small and easily breakable stuff everywhere that humans liked to cram their places with; needlessly miniscule devices he struggled to even hold properly in his claws, let alone operate; and endless crowds of stinking, dirty mammals schooling everywhere like fish or insects to the point where entire boroughs would be reeking with their toxic scents.

The lack of movement was making him uneasy again. Stegron took a deep breath, trying to calm down, but it helped little to subdue his irritation. The saurian wanted out of the metal coffin, get his lungs full of cold, fresh air and feel the solid ground again under his feet. The slight breeze from the window did little to calm him down.

The journey was tiresome for Connors too, but in his mind it was totally worth it. Earlier on this very road he was both afraid and looking forward to making peace with his more feral side. However, he was also very much anticipating spending some time with his friend away from work, almost like in the good old days before any of 'that' happened. Now he was looking forward to meeting his family again and couldn't wait to see their happy faces when he would proudly proclaim that they had nothing to fear ever again. He would ruffle little Billy's hair, rub his muzzle against Martha's warm cheeks and hug the two of them with all the love they deserved.

[+]

Stegron sleepily half-opened a bright green eye as he tried to carefully stretch the aching feet in a desperate attempt to improve his blood circulation at least somewhat, only to find his toes hopelessly jammed against the rug and knees bumping into the glove box, again. He could bear this torture no longer. Just as he was about to ask Connors about the next stop, something behind the window caught his attention. There were fences up ahead closing off a part of the road and a significant commotion of people in white and brown-green military uniforms. Stegron curiously examined them, also noticing some people in the crowd with civilian robes who held cameras and microphones, trying to get closer to the gates in the middle of the road despite the protests of soldiers. On the other side there were some military vehicles and ambulances in what appeared to be a mobile camp Apparently this caught Curt's interest too as he dropped the speed.

The sky in the direction of the closed road was marked with unnatural dark grayness with hints of black and red reflecting in the clouds, somewhat reminding of volcanic activity, but with considerably less smog. May be a forest fire? Connors stopped the car at the side of the road with a worried look. His concern was understandable since the incident was only a few hours' drive away from his home. He waited for a human to pass by before opening the window just enough so he could talk without being seen.

"I beg your pardon" Connors addressed the passing woman. "I live nearby. Could you tell me what happened here?"

"It was a terrorist attack!" The woman exclaimed. "Someone bombed the Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station almost a week ago. The explosion leveled the nearby town! Crazy! Most people managed to evacuate in time, but those closer to the plant were harder to reach. I heard there are still some townsfolk left, but the military can't rescue them. The terrorist is apparently still on the plant and demands crazy ransom from the Governor. He threatens another, even bigger explosion by the end of the day if the Governor does not comply or if the military does anything suspicious. He already shot a helicopter the day before. Apparently he can track vehicles or something, so we can't even go in by air. The only option would be to send a small rescue team on foot, but it is impossible without the protective gear, and the supplier, Stark Industries, has only agreed to provide the suits for another astronomical cost which even the government cannot afford! Just how rotten can you get when there are real people dying out there! What a monster that Stark is!"

"You don't sssay" Stegron mumbled under his breath.

"This iss horrible! Sso there are sstill people out there and nobody can do anything?!" Connors turned to his orange friend. "We sshould help, Vinccent!"

"Curt. Sssorry, but I don't want anything to do with mammalsss" Stegron snorted, turning away, a hint of deep sadness in his eyes. "They will not appreccciate me for what I am. For them, I am a monssster, a nuisssanccce whom they want out of sssight, dead or chained and thrown into a cage for the ressst of my life at the firssst opportunity, like they have done already"

"Come on, don't be so grumpy" Curt tried to encourage his friend. "You know there are good and honesst people out there who have familiess and who jusst want to live in peace like everyone elsse. Not everyone iss hateful towardss reptiless; ssurely you know that by now! Take Martha for example. Sshe iss sso kind and caring, sso undersstanding! I feel bad ssometimess to give her all the trouble jusst becausse I am… like thiss. But sshe undersstandss and doessn't pussh me. I can be frusstratingly ssluggissh in the morningss, but sshe letss me move at my own pace and I am grateful for all her patience" he paused. "Vincent, we cannot jusst abandon them if there iss ssomething we can do! If Billy wass there, would you jusst leave him? "

"Don't be ridiculousss. He isss not there"

"Perhapss not. But ssomeone'ss Billy iss"

"Jusst let me do the talking" Connors regarded his scaly friend with some concern as he was well aware of the latter's unwillingness to subdivide the Mammalia class any further in conversations. It was not the case that he didn't trust Stegron to do a better job if he just put his effort into it, but he didn't trust him enough for such an important task just yet.

"And put the pantss on"

Stegron indistinctly growled, rolling his eyes before reaching out for the custom-made black lycra shorts Connors brought with him for the trip. They might look a bit strange on the first glance as they didn't have the rear to allow for a thick reptilian tail and instead were supported with a series of belts around the legs and the waist. The saurian paused with the shorts in his claws, casting the last pleading glance back at Curt who remained surprisingly decisive and unmoved.

 _"Can't be helped then"_ Stegron gave in reluctantly. He still failed to see the need to cover himself, but seeing Curt suddenly so determined made him more willing to go along just this one time. To his surprise the material was very light and elastic, somewhat like rubber, but not as uncomfortable as he expected against his scales. Yet still distracting.

Both travelers made their way to the gates through the crowd as soldiers, medics and reporters turned and gradually gave way to them in fear. Colonel Brown, who was in charge of the operation, was timely alarmed about the appearance of suspicious visitors seeking a meeting with him and went ahead to resolve the situation personally.

The two patiently awaited him on the other side of the barriers. One appeared to be a scientist of sorts at first glance, sporting a baggy lab coat, purple trousers, a sweater and shoes, which gave him a surprisingly and disturbingly human-like appearance despite the clearly reptilian tail and snout. The other was an even larger and intimidatingly muscular orange reptilian creature with a sharp beak, bright green eyes and two sets of distinct brown boney plates running along its wide back and to the tip of a two and half meter long tail. No doubt some kind of mutants. Colonel Brown was already about to turn around and order someone else to escort them, but the green lizard-like creature waved immediately upon seeing him, drawing his attention in an exaggerated manner he couldn't pretend not to have noticed, as if that was needed.

"Colonel" The lizard-man bowed lightly before the soldier had a chance to turn him down. "Pleasse hear me out. My name iss Dr. Curtiss Connorss and thiss iss my colleague Dr. Vincent Sstegron" he motioned towards the orange creature behind him. "We are here ass memberss of the National Sscience Foundation to take part in thiss mission on behalf of the sscience department. We would humbly requesst your permission to enter the dessignated area."

The soldier looked taken aback in equal parts by the messengers and message itself. Even though Connors tried his best to sound as friendly as possible, there was still an audible lisp to his pronunciation, not to mention two rows of sharp white teeth. Brown heard about real weirdoes working in NSF these days, but surely they didn't just hire an alligator to do their job?!

"Make them leave. Only authorized personnel is allowed"

"But we are authorized" Connors insisted, flashing his new lab badge, so kindly provided by his superiors at the research facility. Being a member of NSF granted him crucial privileges in accessing research material around the world, which added to the importance of passing the probation period to renew his membership. He still had the old badge too, but that was mostly out of nostalgia. Hardly anybody would recognize him by his old photo anyway. He still liked to look at it from time to time just to remind himself of what he was like and what he had lost, but it was of no practical use.

The Colonel looked at the document scrupulously, suspiciously comparing the photo with the person in front of him until he gave up trying to look like he could tell one lizard from another. Something about the introduction rang a bell though.

"The name sounds familiar" the soldier finally admitted a little softer.

"I do believe we met before, Colonel. Curtiss Connorss iss the name. Third Infantry Division?" The Lizard pried.

"Connors?!" A shadow of recognition and surprise crossed the man's stern face. "You mean that very Connors?! Oh my God! What happened to you, Doc?! You look… greener than I remember"

"My friendss tend to tell me that. It was a side effect of one experiment" Connors smiled despite the hurtful words. He knew Colonel was not to blame for this reaction. "Too long a sstory. I can fill you in ssome other time, but for now we really are in a hurry, aren't we? I've heard there are sstill people out there who have not been evacuated?"

"Yeah… About fifty-sixty men or so. They were in the part of the city right next to the station. The fields there are still burning and the temperature near the reactor is too high. We can't get there without the protective gear. Furthermore there was a disruption with food supplies and we are out of food and even water. The locals are helping us however they can, but I don't think we can stay another day like this. Even if my soldiers come back, there is nothing to treat them with. Sorry, buddy, but I am not sending my men on a one-way trip"

"Sso, basically, you need ssomeone who could ssurvive in posst-explosion heat, quite possibly with no food or water, and to treat the wounded, pluss ssomeone who would be knowledgeable enough to sshut down a power plant given the chance? Colonel. I have to admit the last bit is not entirely in my sscope of interesstss, but I am more than confident that between the two of usss, we are about the besst ssuited for thiss mission. Any life we can ssave is worth ssaving"

"Don't be crazy, Connors! I fell for your poetic speeches once and that almost got you killed! Well, it got you armless if I remember correctly" he glanced at the reptile's both healthy arms with some uncertainty. "I'll repeat: I am not sending my men on a one-way trip. You haven't been there. It's 122 ° F (50 ° C). You'll get boiled alive. Nothing can survive there without the gear"

"I wass prepared for worsse" Curt retorted confidently. "I have to admit it'ss obvioussly higher than my preferred range thesse dayss, but fairly tolerable. Collonel, I do believe we have an advantage here you do not have. Not only am I a medic that can help thosse in need, but reptiless do not wasste energy like humanss and are very ressilient. Thiss sshould be no problem! Pleasse, let uss help! If there are people ssuffering out there, I cannot jusst sstand by and do nothing!"

The Colonel finally gave in, letting them pass. Connors was always such a goody two-shoes with his heroic declarations that it was almost adorable, Stegron thought. Truth be told, that was one of the things he always secretly admired about his colleague. That was how he used to believe humans should have been: proud, selfless and working together for the greater good. He admitted he was mistaken. But Connors never gave up; he was still true to himself, unable to leave those in need and always rushing first to help. Ironically, that was what turned his life into this mess in the first place. He saved countless lives at the expense of his own. However, who knows, if that faithful night he happened to pass by Vincent's lab, another little human's life might have been saved.

It still wasn't too late. Stegron knew from his studies that behind his prehistoric entourage and deep in his mesothermic heart there still were parts of his human DNA, responsible for his human-like proportions and intelligence. The few tests he ran on himself out of curiosity showed very little correlation with his past medical records, but numbers did not matter. He of all people should know better than trust simple numbers. No matter how improbable the chances, how low the probability, when something was fated to happen, it would happen, even against all the odds, against all numbers. He was the prime example of that. Any logically deducing person would say that the series of events that happened to him on that fateful night were extremely unlikely. It was more probable that all oxygen in the air would coincidentally move to one hemisphere as a result of the random movement of molecules, and the other hemisphere would suffocate. Possible, but extremely unlikely. Yet, here he was. There could only be one explanation. This was what he was meant to be, and it would have happened one way or another. It was a Twist of Fate. He just knew it.

And he welcomed it. Choosing anything over his dull, miserable and regretful past human existence was better. Even though he was a geneticist by education, paleontology has always been his favourite hobby and he dreamed about his own pet dinosaur since he was little. He was always fascinated by these majestic creatures and dreamed to bring them back. Yet, he could never imagine he himself would become one. Nothing happens without a reason. Was it his destiny? For some reason, scientists turned a blind eye on this, but Stegron was never afraid to question exactly what he observed. Mammals were just too simple minded to see the bigger picture. Some would call it a misfortune, a terrible accident, but in Stegron's eyes the event that changed him was more of a blessing than a curse, the one in a million chance to let him shed his past failures and start the life from a new page as a better being.

However, not everything went as he had hoped. Now Stegron was stuck between the two worlds, so to speak – neither fully a dinosaur, nor a human. The others of his kind that he'd seen in Savage Land on one of his expeditions were little more than savage beasts, driven, seemingly, only by their basic instincts. He spent some time with them, but it only deepened his disappointment. Stegron could hardly call these creatures his brothers and sisters with an open heart. Soon he realized they were not what he longed for. But what was it then? Did he want someone more… human? Stegron thought everything has changed after he became different and that he could start his life anew, but the truth was that he still felt out of place, unable to connect with anyone – neither humans, nor dinosaurs. What saddened him was the understanding that there wasn't another living being quite like him in the entire world. Connors was the closest to him in that sense and that was another reason he treasured their friendship so highly.

[+]

Stegron snapped back to awareness, realizing the two of them had already walked some distance away from the camp and the only scents in the air were still only those of dust, dried up grass and sand. The road was quickly getting worse, eventually the concrete fusing into a ground road. Stegron led the way and Curt followed right behind, the long spiky tail waving rhythmically in front of the lizard Doctor from side to side as the two of them disappeared into a raising sandstorm. It was starting to get noticeably hotter as they approached the darker skies. The sand was flying all around, getting in Connors' shoes, sleeves and even under the collar.

In a way, the sandstorm was a bit of a blessing for Connors. His lizard body could not generate any heat by itself and was the same temperature as the air around him, drawing energy from the Sun. Usually, being in warmer weather conditions was only benefiting him, because that gave him more energy to work with, but even he had his limits. Because he could neither warm up, nor cool down without external factors, he'd have to find shadows to avoid overheating, which the sandstorm mercifully provided, albeit at a cost of visibility.

Unlike lizards, dinosaurs were not truly cold-blooded, as was the common misconception, or, rather, not as cold-blooded. They were mesatherms. Like most other reptiles, they also did not have a constant body temperature, but their metabolism was faster and they managed to stay in a more or less stable range with a variety of helping anatomical factors. Of course Stegron's sheer size made the fluctuations less dramatic, but the back plates also played a critical role in increasing the surface area that needed to cool down or warm up. As such he could preserve or disperse some heat through them by regulating the blood flow, making him cooler or warmer as he needed.

When the sandstorm subsided, the two reptiles found themselves on the outskirts of a small abandoned town. The grey houses stood empty and silent, with shattered walls and toppled roofs. There was rubble everywhere the eye could see and the air was thick and poisonously nauseous. Connors flinched and covered the snout, his scales visibly going darker by the second - a sure sign of negative emotions in lizards.

"Is he afraid?" Stegron deduced. He could not blame his friend. They both knew what was coming by now. The town reeked with the stench of death and decay. There hardly could be anyone left to save. It was almost certain that all those who could not evacuate in time were already dead.

The reptiles looked inside a desolated building with an old car lying upside down in the hallway. Stegron didn't want to question how that even happened. There was a thick stench of oil and something else as they got nearer. Curt called out for survivors, but Stegron didn't even bother. He knew for certain what had happened even before they saw a limp hand coming from under the roof. Connors covered his snout again and rushed outside. Stegron paused for just a moment longer before following him.

He stopped behind his friend, who tried to catch his breath on the other side of the street. The Lizard's scales became even darker in colour. He was visibly shaken. Stegron remained more impartial, but their own safety was now a clear cause for concern. One thing was clear – they had to move faster. If the humans were not killed in an explosion, they met their end days later from radiation. The sooner they would be done with it the better. Just as Stegron was finally about to call his friend, Connors suddenly turned with a surprisingly determined look in his eyes.

"We have to sstop him" he said. "And if the heat doessn't kill uss, radiation will. We need to hurry"

Stegron nodded, unsure what else to add. This pretty much summed up the plan now that the rescue part was crossed out. They marched in silence across the town. Occasionally Connors would call out, offering help and stay still for a few seconds, listening for answers, but it was all in vain.

Soon, the two of them saw the walls of the power plant, but not as soon as either would like. The ominous building towered over the little houses, throwing a shadow over the rabble. Stegron looked up, then to the side, catching a scent he found somewhat strange. He looked, puzzled, at Connors.

"Do you sssmell it?"

The other reptile shook his head. The saurian's sense of smell was not as acute as the Lizard's, certainly not to the level of being able to decompose the chemical composition of molecules in the air, but good enough to track down prey. Did Curt really miss this odour or did he just judge it as nothing of interest? By the looks of it, however, he really didn't notice. Perhaps the dinosaur was just luckier with the wind. Stegron wasn't sure if it was worth wasting their time to investigate, but he felt lured by the mystery.

"You go ahead. I'll check thisss quickly and join you"

Connors nodded, taking off to the building in the distance.


	12. Part 12

Stegron could smell traces of blood, meaning there was an injured creature, a mammal, but no hint of decay like the other corpses, suggesting it was still alive.

 _"Alive, for a week, in these conditions?"_

Surprised, he turned around, scanning his surroundings. If this temperature stayed even at night, a mammal would long be dead with no food or water and little oxygen. It must have been a matter of hours before it would only be adding to the list of corpses they found with Connors so far. Yet here it was, may be not so well, but alive, and the scent was getting stronger with every step towards a little collapsed country house on the left.

Then, suddenly, he saw it through a crack in the wall. A small boy was sitting on the concrete floor a level below the ground in what must have been a basement. The house was obliterated like most building around here, but the top floor strangely balanced in an impossible manner on what remained of the ground floor, just barely hanging in suspension.

Stegron examined the debris as he circled them. He was not knowledgeable enough in architecture, but he had a hunch that the concrete blocks supported each other not unlike a card house. Individually they were not difficult to lift, but if he as much as pushed one, the rest would crumble, crushing the human underneath. This left the reptile in front of a small crack through which he initially noticed the human child sitting silently and leaning against the far wall, sleeping or, most likely, unconscious.

Stegron examined the breach closer. Pushing his massive dinosaur form through would likely topple the construction, so he had to somehow make the boy come to him instead. However, if the little one could escape in the first place, he probably would have done so already. The opening must have been too high for him to climb without help. Firstly, Stegron decided to see if he could reach the child and pull him out.

The dinosaur man crouched and leaned as far as his dorsal plates would let him, but even his arm muscles alone were too thick to move anywhere past the shoulder. He reached out as far as he could, unable even to peek how far he made it, but the claws only grasped thin air. Sometimes being smaller had its advantages. He growled lowly in irritation. The child, surprisingly, seemed to react to the noise, but his glance was still distant and unfocused.

"Give me your hand, now" the reptile ordered, making his intentions clear when he noticed the child was awake.

The boy who was watching the scene unfold suddenly jerked to the side, screaming in panic.

"Oh God! No-no-no! Please leave me alone! Don't eat me! Go away! Please!"

Stegron flinched, feeling his frustration rising further at the mammal's incompliance.

"I am here to sssave you. Thisss thing can go down at any moment. Come on, we don't have time for thisss. Jussst give me your hand already!"

But the boy didn't listen. He was crying and pleading not to hurt him, covering his head in fear and squishing even further into the corner, staying well out of Stegron's reach.

Crouching inside this narrow crack in the wall in a very uncomfortable position and asking the stupid mammal to listen to him and to get saved was quickly starting to tire him down. The nerve of this little twerp! The little mammal was as feeble and pathetic as they got. The wall to the surface wasn't even that big! It was hard to believe these creatures would come one day as a dominant species.

Eventually he would grow and learn how to hate, how to use weapons like guns and bombs, how to destroy everything he does not understand, roaming free and happy as if he owns the world while other creatures have to nestle around or rot in cages. Stegron touched his wrists where the bracers would have often been. Perhaps it was better to just leave him here or, better yet, put him out of his misery.

Yet it was not the case that the dinosaur didn't understand already that not every human was like that. A vast majority were, but not all of them, and Connors with his family were the best examples he could think of. He couldn't think about Billy without a hint of a smile as well – so young, but so kind and curious, even surprisingly brave for his age. It was impossible not to feel some sympathy for him.

The boy here looked somewhat similar to Billy, indeed. He was clearly tired and scared to death. Who knows how he even survived this long and what horrors he'd seen? Truth be told, he most likely tried to escape already, but saw his attempts fail and had already given up before Stegron found him moments ago. He was certainly in deep emotional stress and not behaving efficiently enough to survive.

Taking a step back, the saurian sighed and dropped to the ground, observing the boy calmly through the crack. The child looked skeleton-thin and pale, may be 7 or 8 years old, indeed not unlike Billy, with dark short messy hair and a sickly face. He had a few scratches here and there and seemed to be holding his right leg. Stegron noticed the trousers being darker on that side, probably a result of the injury he got when he tried to escape after the explosion. That must have been the cause why he couldn't climb on his own.

Then he noticed an empty plastic bottle and a rat skeleton near the other wall. So he was lucky enough to find nourishment even in his condition, but the child looked well past his limits already, and Stegron's carnivore's intuition discerned from observing the boy's condition that he would almost certainly be dead by dawn.

Such unusually fierce for a mammal determination to survive, and all for naught, he thought. Sometimes life was just this cruel and no matter how tough the creature, it was doomed with no ways out. Human or not, he felt something akin to respect for the child's sheer tenacity to survive. It was something he could relate to with his own experience. It had to count. He had to make it count.

Stegron considered the boy's situation again. Connors would have been better suited for this task. Not only was he better with mammals, but he could have easily slithered through the crack. He used to do that a lot back in the days when he loved exploring the sewers.

 _"Perhaps, we might have divided the wrong way there"_ Stegron realised grimly. Why did he not just ask Connors to come along?

The Doctor took a deep breath. He could do it. How hard could it be to convince the little warmblood to cooperate? He tried to think back to everything he learned from Connors. So far the advice was to be more patient, to wait for the human to make the first move and make them feel more at ease in his presence. As annoying as it was to waste time like this, it didn't look like they were getting anywhere with the way things were.

"Doesss your leg hurt?" the reptile asked in concern, trying to sound as friendly as he could, despite his persisting trouble with sibilants. Being a 7'5'' carnivorous dinosaur didn't help to look less imposing either. Truth be told, Stegron did not expect much from this interaction.

For some time the boy didn't answer.

"It does" the child finally admitted. "It hurts really bad and is getting worse. I am so afraid! My parents work on the plant, but from that day they never showed up! I was waiting and waiting, but nobody came! God, I hope they are all right... I really do! But..."

Stegron waited a bit more, but the child didn't look about to continue. It was painfully obvious his parents were dead, probably among the first victims of the explosion. Stegron and Connors knew it now, but the mammal must have not realized it yet. No. Something was off in the way he didn't finish the last sentence.

 _"He understands what happened"_ Stegron realized. _"He just doesn't say it"_

Stegron was not sure whether he should tell him the truth now, or play along a bit longer, or somehow hint at what happened...? It was all very confusing and the more Connors explained, the less he felt he understood. This was exactly the kind of situation the saurian felt most uncomfortable with. Stegron did not even remember the last time he consciously tried to gain a human's trust and be the one to initiate it. Perhaps it was when he was first assigned to work with Curtis Connors on the regenerative serum. That sure looked now like a lifetime ago, or even two. Not only did he forget all the finer nuances of human psychology after such a long time as a dinosaur, but even his instincts were of no help here. They were not polished for interacting with humans after all, as the humans did not appear yet in the time they were formed, and sure enough if he did not perceive the human as neither threat, nor prey, he had no 'hunches' of what to do. It was a very unsettling feeling of utter emptiness, uncertainty and confusion.

Back to rational deduction it was then. He had already suspected that the boy was smarter than he'd let on. There was no way he didn't realize what happened and there also must have been a reason he chose to lie to himself instead. If these assumptions were correct, it would be wise to keep the act. Perhaps, he could even use this misconception to get the boy out of the rubble.

"We will return for them later" He announced, taking a risky gamble. "Do you want to ssshow me where you've sssen them lassst? We will find them, but now you need to hurry. It isss really dangerousss to ssstay where you are. Pleassse, come with me"

The boy lifted his head in surprise. He looked genuinely not expecting the reptile's proposition. This expression mildly amused the saurian, but also gave him a hint of sadness at how despite his valiant effort and risking his hide for all these ungrateful creatures, it was still so surprising for them to hear that he cared for someone. He was just a monster for them after all.

"All right" the boy suddenly said, reaching out into the opening with a feeble hand. It was the Doctor's turn to be astonished. Was that all it took? Was he not afraid? He rushed again towards the crack, diving in as far as he could fit. The boy stifled a gulp at the sight of an orange hand-paw the size of him head to toe squeezing through the crack. He regarded the extended sharp claws with nervous caution, but brushed his fear away and decisively grabbed the palm. The claws gently locked around his miniscule hand and pushed him up. In seconds the boy was out, breathing loudly on the ground. Looking up he saw his savior stand to his full height which threw a long shadow over the ground, and the little human gaped in awe, falling backwards. Stegron was towering a good head even over most adult humans, but to the tiny boy at his feet he must have looked all the more terrifying. Yet the boy was not scared. He knew the creature meant him no harm, and that was all that mattered.

"What isss your name?" Stegron asked.

"Jamie"

"Ssso, Jamie, about your parentsss…" Stegron offered the injured boy a lift up, where the child grabbed firm the dinosaur's dorsal plates, resting on his back.

"They work at the power plant. I haven't seen them for a long time now, ever since the explosion. I wonder if they are all right. I was afraid they could be trapped like I was and they would worry about me. I didn't want them to worry, so I did my best… I just did… my best…" the boy's voice got weaker and weaker. Stegron thought he was about to cry, but the boy never did. Perhaps he couldn't even if he wanted as his body was already on the verge of dehydration.

Jamie must have been tired and utterly exhausted, but he would have to endure just a little longer. Turning back this far from the border would not give them much of a head start anyway. Besides, if the villain was still truly occupying the plant, he must have sustained himself somehow as well. Perhaps they would find some water inside to help the boy.

[+]

Meanwhile, the Lizard was already at the doors of the main building. They were massive and looked impenetrable, with five centimeters of steel pressed together like an air lock. No matter how much he pushed or pulled, the metal didn't even budge. Tired, he took a step back to rethink the situation and catch a breath.

 _"Perhaps, we might have divided the wrong way there"_ He thought bitterly. He had no doubt Stegron would hardly even be paused before smashing this thing out, with the whole frame if need be. Stegron was clearly the physically stronger of the two.

Connors never quite understood his way of thinking, but that was what made him brilliant, wasn't it? Daring, fearless, independent and a little… eccentric, for lack of a better word. He never shied away from challenging even the most well known facts, adding twists which hardly any scientist would even consider. Stegron always had that bizarre approach of mixing science with occult, math with psychology and body with mind, making even mutually exclusive things look like they were on the same spectrum.

Curt couldn't boast being so memorable as an individual, but he too had made his fare share of discoveries. Connors felt more exploratory when the boundaries of the problem were clearly defined. If it was a technical problem, it made sense to approach it from the technical perspective. If it was a methodological problem, it made sense to go back to theory. He preferred to work on "How" rather than "Why". That being said, he was completely aware that sometimes by diving into minute details he'd miss the bigger picture. Perhaps, this once he would agree that raw strength would save him all the time he was currently spending on thinking to come up with a plan, the time he didn't have.

Connors tried to think back to what he knew. The nuclear station was based in a desert area, the nearby town mostly built for workers and their families. The plant had four units, all of which were monitored at the control tower. The cause of the explosion was a safety disable on one of the units which was still a few miles to the North. Obviously there was no information on which unit the terrorist planned to explode next. For all Connors knew it could be all of the remaining sections, as he seemed to threaten an even bigger explosion, on a State's scale. The terrorist must have set the bombs already, either with a timer or remote control to trigger them when he would be already in safety, but since nobody saw him leave the place yet, he must have been still planning his evacuation. The best place to remain in control of all three units would be from the command tower, which was where Connors headed.

The Lizard foresaw the main entrance would be likely monitored, so he studied the outline of the tower from a distance to get an idea of where the emergency exit might have been and now he found it, but getting in proved to be more trouble than he anticipated. How else could he open the door?

Connors took a deep breath and looked around more carefully. He must have been missing something. If the answer didn't come to him, he had to look at the problem from another angle, try to think differently. Stegron was good at coming up with unorthodox solutions. What a shame he wasn't around when he was needed. He'd probably laugh at Connors struggling with such a simple task and do something completely ridiculous out of the blue to get them inside in an instant.

 _"Actually"_ Connors smiled a little nervously _"He does that all the time. The solution just appears out of nowhere and it is so plain and obvious that it is often hard to believe nobody could see it sooner. He said he was just following his intuition, his instincts. I bet he'd phrase that differently now. Or would he?"_

 _"Would he?"_ Connors repeated one more time, suddenly feeling like he was on to something, but had not even realized what it was. Was he feeling happy? Why? He felt like he was about to solve something. No, that he had solved it already, but simply couldn't comprehend the solution.

 _"Stop thinking"_ he tried to close his eyes and take another deep breath. _"Don't act like a Lizard, be the Lizard. Just do what I feel like doing and have absolute trust in myself, right, Steggy? I know the answer, I just don't understand it yet. The Lizard knows"_

 _"How do I get in?"_

Right? Left? Curt was confused by the erratic thoughts he subconsciously dampened the entire time. He thought it his weakness, his indecisiveness, but perhaps he was wrong and there was more to it than he ever imagined: an entire world of a different species. Up? He tasted the air. There was a slight breeze, barely noticeable if not for his acute senses. Up we go. Connors' red eyes darted and stopped on the air vent. How did he not think of that? Back in the days he spent a lot of time in the sewers. The opening looked large enough to fit him. Besides, he was very dexterous.

The Lizard kicked off his shoes and crawled up the wall, sticking to the microscopic dents and bruises the eye couldn't even see with tiny scales on his hands and feet, like a gecko, then removed the cover on the vent and in he went. It was dark and narrow, but manageable. Besides, he did not rely on his vision, but sense of smell to get the direction. Connors took another breath, trying to calm down his trembling hands. It was a very strange feeling. It never even crossed his mind to scale the wall even though he was aware it was possible for him. He was just thinking… too much like a human, he guessed.

Stegron was right. He was so out of touch with his natural side that he would even forget which abilities he possessed! Laughable, wasn't it? It was a strange feeling, but he was not afraid this time. It was a bit like having a somewhat dumb and unloved, but very loyal brother. He did his things, but they would never harm Connors. Now he fully understood that. He was not just a human trapped inside an animal's body; he had another friend now who would always have his back when worse comes to worst. This was the world of the reptiles, but it was still the same world he shared with everyone even if he was a little… different now. In the end, all people were different and what made him 'the Lizard' was not unlike what made Martha 'Martha' and Billy 'Billy'. It was just who he was.

[+]

On the ceiling of a dark room lit only with the lights of many screens over the control panel, a vent cover slowly moved to the side and a dark figure silently dropped to the ground. The creature stood upright, tasting the air for any suspicious scents in case it was a trap before turning around to the panel and uncurling its tail. The red reptilian eyes gleamed in the dark as they stopped on the panel with screens and buttons.

Connors leaned closer, examining the feeds. One of the screens was black, but the three next to it showed different parts of the structure, which he assumed must have been the remaining units. All of them had strange boxes around the reactors. Were those bombs?

Another scene he recognized was that of the main entrance to the control tower. Next to it were feeds of places unfamiliar to him. Suddenly he caught movement on one of them. On a closer inspection there appeared to be a man in a robotic suit assembling some sort of device he couldn't quite make out at this angle. This must have been the villain! The suit reminded him of the protective gear from Stark Industries, but this one was clearly a custom design.

 _"Very strange that the villain would get his hands on it when the military couldn't"_ he though.

Curt examined the background, noticing flat empty walls and lots of boxes, probably some kind of a warehouse. Next to the boxes on the left stood a crane with letters "B1-0" on it. Perhaps he should remember those in case the sections inside were numbered. If his guess was correct, he'd be looking for section 0 on floor B1.

Was "B" standing for "Basement"? It was as good a guess as any. First, he'd have to find his way down and figure it on the run. Curt wall jumped back into the vent and was gone as quickly and silently as he appeared. He didn't notice how a few seconds later another large bipedal reptile with a little boy on his back appeared on the feed from the entrance.

[+]

Curt took a few turns and crawled down to the section a floor below. As he passed by the openings into different rooms, he gave them a glance in case there was anything of interest. Suddenly he caught a glimpse of the familiar numbers on a wall. This was the place that he saw on camera!

Curt crept out of the vent and silently dropped to the ground behind a large box. He could hear the robot now just a few meters away. The Lizard froze completely, careful not to make even a single movement that would betray his presence. So far he somehow appeared to remain undected, but he couldn't afford to be sloppy. At first he wanted to just deactivate the bombs and escape without being noticed, but after seeing what the villain did to the innocent citizens just to make a point… He couldn't let him go. He's seen the bombs already, but first he'd need to figure out how exactly the villain was planning to detonate them and what he was after.

Connors examined the box he was hiding behind. The smell around here was weird and he couldn't quite place the chemical composition on anything he was familiar with. Curious, he cut the tape with his claws and pried open the top to peek inside.

The box appeared full of some kind of purplish-black rocks, not unlike pieces of ore. The Lizard's eyes widened in shock as he stifled an involuntary gasp. Was all of it Vibranium?! He had only heard about the mythical "anti-metal" from Savage Land with properties so unique and priceless entire countries would wage war over a mine, and its existence was largely kept secret among top government officials. If his guess was correct, the amount here was probably worth well over a country's yearly GDP! Something clicked.

Ransom. The villain demanded an astronomical amount of money in exchange for deactivating the bombs! About the same amount Stark Enterprises demanded for the protective suits. Furthermore, the terrorist appeared to be using Stark technology. Was that a coincidence? Did someone pay off the villain already? If that was the case, did he deactivate the bombs as promised? Did he even intend to or was he going to detonate them in any case?

Curt needed a plan to take him down. For now he could only hide his presence, lying in ambush like a real lizard stalking his prey, but his claws and teeth alone would not be effective against an armoured opponent. Was there another way to knock him out?

The doors opened and a second crane came in, carrying another set of boxes. Nobody was driving it. Was everything automated? There wasn't any other way, Connors realized. No human would survive in these conditions without a special suit as the town painfully illustrated. Iron Man probably never expected anyone would be stupid enough to come here against his warnings. The element of surprise was still on the reptile's side.

The man moved on to examine the new batch. He would be distracted for some time, his back to Connors' position, hopefully long enough for him to get behind. Curt braced himself, trying not to think too hard about what he was about to do before panic would stop him dead. The Lizard slowly rose behind his cover and stepped towards the unsuspecting mammal, jaws open wide and claws at the ready. Before he made another step, suddenly an orange hand burst from the box Iron Man was about to open and seized his throat, lifting the man high in the air as the hiding creature reaped through the wood, standing to its full impressive height.

The man screamed in surprise, his feet dangling helplessly in the air as he desperately grasped the creature's thick arm with both of his to pry the claws open – a comically ridiculed effort against 870 atmospheres of pressure his neck armour was currently under, unless his gear also happened to be a Hulk power suit. The metal armour was saving him against the deadly choke, for now, but his fate might as well have been sealed. Very few would possess the inhuman strength to get out of the saurian's hold.

 _"Hiding inside one of the boxes as they stopped before the gates to get in unnoticed was a clever strategy to get as close to the target as possible without being noticed!"_ Connors exhaled with relief. _"He made use of the fact that the cranes didn't have pilots and were fully automated. As long as the program was not disrupted, nobody would notice a thing!"_

"Get… off me… you big stupid lizard!"

The armoured man gave up trying to win the contest of strength and lifted his hands to the reptile's face instead. Something flickered and a pair of blasters shot the saurian clean in the head at point-blank range. Stegron roared in pain and dropped the man, staggering backwards and swinging his tail as he struggled to remain standing, with one hand over his eyes. He managed to close them just in time out of reflex, but the damage was there.

"Vincent!" Connors cried, realizing a second too late he just revealed himself needlessly. Oh well, so much for the effect of surprise. Connors leapt at the human, clawing and biting relentlessly everything he could reach, but just as he expected his claws and teeth slid harmlessly against the hard steel.

"Woah there!" The man exclaimed, firing another series of shots to force the other reptile to retreat. "There are two of you?! Any more hiding around?" He spinned his head, scanning the area. "Guess not. But where the hell did you two come out of and who are you anyway?!"

"We are heroess, The Lizard and The Dinossaur Man! And we are here to sstop you… whoever you are!"

Stegron already had a hand over his face so he didn't need to make the gesture any more explicit. Let them talk away, he thought. The orange reptile was not about to break the awkward pause just yet. His eyes were healing as the combatants dragged the fight, but he still needed a few more seconds to get the vision completely back.

"Never heard of you"

"Ssurrender now!" Connors demanded, unfazed. "And deactivate the bombss!"

"Or what? Are you going to scratch me to death?" Iron Man laughed. "Don't bother. Everything is already set in motion and there is nothing you can do about it! With this much Vibranium I can make weapons far beyond your comprehension that can destroy entire armies at my whim! Surely you two must realize by now just how much outclassed you are. Do you know the saying about bringing claws to a gun fight?" he smirked.

"You mammalssss like to talk big, don't you?" Stegron snarled in disdain. "All I sssee issss a tin can" he smirked in turn, demonstrating his curved claws. "Good for me that I jussst happen to have a can opener here"

"The heck are you supposed to be anyway?!" the villain pointed out as he stared at Stegron, measuring his seven-and-some feet head to toe. "Are you… a dinosaur?!"

Stegron wished he could see his expression behind the mask. He must have been missing a priceless moment here.

Connors was first to react. Seeing that Stegron had just opened both of his eyes and was fully recovered, he took the opportunity to assault the opponent while he was still talking. He knew his attacks weren't getting through, but clawing randomly was not the only way to fight. The armour had to have gaps where the moving parts were. Perhaps he could take it apart if he just pushed at the pieces that made it.

Iron Man responded almost immediately as he was alerted by his suit about an incoming attack from behind. He fired a blaster, but a second too late, the beam missing the green reptile completely. A set of claws reached his chest before he could use the repulsor again to gain some distance and fire a second beam from the other arm. Another miss as the Lizard's uncanny reflexes and speed sent him in a somersault over the target to dodge the attack.

Iron Man had locked on him in mid-air and was about to fire again, but he was interrupted by another warning. The villain dodged the first slash, but a spiked tail caught him straight in the back with a brutal impact that sent him flying through a wall.

 _"Damn these things are fast!"_ Iron Man thought in annoyance, rebooting his systems as he got up from the rubble. _"But now I see what they are up to. The green is the sneaky one. He is clearly scheming something up. I have to keep an eye on him. He is also too fast to aim at automatically and I am unable to hit him in time even after I lock on with only one blaster. He manages to dodge that in the split second the blaster is being fired! I was sure I could have just gotten a shot in with both if the big guy didn't help him out, but that was a blunder on my side. If I focus all the fire on one of them, it gives the opening for the other to attack. That big guy is crazy strong! Even his tail is strong! My back still hurts after I dampened the impact with the repulsors! Damn! Come on, man, keep it together! You aren't Iron Man if you let the technologies of future get beaten by unarmed cavemen from a Jurassic Park movie!"_

Although 'unarmed' would have been a misleading definition. Stegron's entire body was both armour and weapon. The dinosaur man let out a bellowing roar as he jumped in to finish the human before he could catch a breath. Iron Man fired back the repulsors which dispersed harmlessly against the saurian's hide, unable to prevent him from closing in on the human. As both fighters drew near, Stegron turned sideways to give his tail a better reach and assumed a wider and lower stance at the same time to increase his agility, turning his legs into springs. He swung the long spiked tail around like a flail as he relentlessly chased the human. Iron Man cleverly dodged, flying just out of range as Stegron was about to turn around again, and closing in before the reptile would start his next attack.

From a distance their exchange might have looked like a very blood-chilling and bizarre dance, with Stegron piling the pressure with vicious attacks as he aimed tail strikes mixed with occasional claw swipes, while Iron Man flew around and ducked at a breathtakingly dangerous distance to keep his blasters effective, staying just inches away from deadly attacks and keeping his own fire coming.

[+]

 _"Oh wow"_ the Lizard stood motionless in a mix of awe and terror as he watched the battle unfold before him from a safe distance. _"I have to stop them! He is seriously trying to kill now!"_ An image of Stegron laughing at how Connors forgot his clothes flashed in his mind, turning darker. _"I've never seen Vincent so violent and bloodthirsty. This is not like him at all!"_

The Lizard thought back to all the fun and exciting times they shared together. Stegron was always a somewhat reclusive, a bit too prideful and perhaps a little impulsive when things didn't go his way, but he was always so humorous and easy going. Never once he saw him lose his temper like this or fight anyone, let alone to death. They were both men of science after all! It was hard to believe this was the same man he knew. But was he? Or did he?

 _"I can feel your anger, Vincent. Those people who died in the town did not deserve it. This man is a heartless, cold blooded monster"_ he stumbled at a poor choice of words. _"Not literally, but the point is, he is an egotistic psychotic megalomaniac who sees murder as a means to his goal. To confess my feelings, I also thought about killing him when we found out all the citizens have died, but then how would we be any different? He may be a worthless scum of a man, but he is also a human! We are not judges or kings to decide someone's fate! And we are intelligent beings, not animals!"_

[+]

The blasters had little effect on dinosaurian hide, but over time at such close range they were slowly starting to char even his tough natural armour.

 _"This huge guy looked like a tough customer from the get go and he got me off guard twice with the sneaky tricks and his speed for such a size, which I did not expect, but I clearly overestimated him. Sure, he has remarkable physical strength and durability, and even speed, surpringly, but he is still a poor fighter with no experience"_ Iron Man noted. _"Reflexes or not, it is clear nobody taught him how to fight at all. His attacks have monstrous strength, but are disappointingly simple and predictable. No matter how fast and strong he is, if he telegraphs all his moves, I can always simply stay out of range. It is obvious he is trying to force me into a position to hit with his tail again, but you'd have to be plain stupid to fall for that twice. He has no strategy or fighting style. Brute strength alone will get you nowhere, dude. Too easy!"_

Iron Man was gradually speeding up, feeling more and more confident and eager to finish off the ancient reptile, but suddenly a load bang made both fighters involuntary turn their heads. A box of vibranium lay shattered on the floor, its contests spilled, and the Lizard casually trampling the fragments into dust under his feet while the two other fighters were busy.

 _"We don't have to be mindlessly tearing each other's throats out"_ Connors thought with a bit more courage. _"Surely these must have been important to the villain if he was after them the entire time. There is more than one way to fight!"_

"Ooppss" he said with a theatrically exaggerated gesture. "How carelesss of me"

"What do you think you are doing with my Vibranium, you sneaky bastard?! Do you know how much it's worth, lizard brains?!" Iron Man snapped.

 _"But that's a distraction, now is the time to attack… is what you are thinking"_ Iron Man turned around, completely calm and unsurprised by the view of the orange monster jumping at him with claws out. _"Told you. Too easy"_

The villain fired a super-charged Unibeam from his chest directly into the dinosaur, almost point-blank, sending his huge body flying across the room, into a few unfortunate boxes of vibranium on his way and through the wall.

 _"An unfortunate, but acceptable collateral damage"_

"One down, one to go" he announced, turning to Connors.

[+]

Stegron lay on his back on a mountain of scattered smoking rubble and purplish ore pieces, doubled over from the impact, with legs in the air and tail thrown over the remnants of the container. His injuries were not as bad as the fight made it look. In fact, he was hardly even tired or damaged at all, the little burns and bruises on his scales sure to heal in no time. The only deeper damage he received so far was the burn from that last attack, but the fight was clearly not going too well for him.

Stegron flexed his clawed toes as he thoughtfully pondered on his next options, taking his time to heal while enjoying the view of his body. He was tough, fast and incredibly powerful. Honestly, he was bewildered that there was a mammal around that could keep up with him. Even giving the human some credit for his experience, there was little doubt that without the armour in the equation the fight would have been over in seconds and, likely, in one hit.

At first he did not regard his current opponent seriously, or as an 'opponent' at all, really. He was just prey, an annoying little pest that stubbornly buzzed around without any understanding of what it was provoking. As the fight dragged on, however, his instincts told him not once that the meal was starting to be more hassle than it was worth. He was not even injured, but catching the little fly was starting to get tiresome, and the fight left him with a bad aftertaste. Of course he knew he wasn't loosing, but he doubted he looked winning either, and that arrogant piece of canned meat might be full of the wrong ideas. It was his duty to fix them and remind the mammal of their positions in the ecosystem.

However, as confident as Stegron was in his abilities, deep down he couldn't deny the fact that his opponent was skilled, and his own results deemed… lacking. Stegron knew he could break even through that armour eventually, but getting hold of the mammal long enough to do that was a different story. As he pondered on this, the saurian took a piece of purplish ore and rotated it between his claws. Light reflected off the smoother angles and at places it was even shiny like metal. A pretty, but useless toy. He threw the shard away with annoyance and stood back up.

As he did, Stegron sniffed the air and looked around. He saw a huge hole in the wall he broke, but the rest was new. He was in a different room, noticeably dimmer than the warehouse, but also much larger. At the far end there was an enormous cylindrical container with gigantic pipes going in and out. The center of the structure was glowing in crimson-red and emanating considerable heat and radiation, so much that even Stegron had to take a step back from it. Was this the core? So, one of the reactors was in this very facility?

The saurian regarded the structure with a mix of caution and interest. He didn't know much about nuclear reactors, but somehow he had a feeling these hazardous conditions were hardly its planned normal state. As he looked closer, sure enough he found the remnants of another layer of walls that used to have been around the core at some point, quite thick, probably steel or some other alloy which has been, by the looks of it, liquefied. In the same area there was a workbench with some tools which Stegron approached for closer inspection.

There was a pool of metallic purplish substance in a bowl of hardened plastic with various tools, Stegron assumed were for metalworks, around it. What an odd combination. Stegron's eyes gleamed with curiosity as he examined them closer. Why would there be cutting tools made out of molten rocks? What was all of it doing here, right next to the Core? Stegron was sure he would recognize parts of a bomb if he saw them, but the working place appeared to be designed more closely after a melting pot. It was not a bomb he was making, Stegron realised, but melting tools.

 _"So you think you are so smart, mammal? Leaving your weapons here and thinking I cannot use them against you? Stegron will have a surprise for you! We'll see who is the smarter one!"_

The Dinosaur man took a piece of purplish ore from under his feet and threw into the plastic bowl. There was no sound as it joined the molten pool. He glanced over the variously formed plastic tools in his service. He could just barely grab them, but using was out of the question. He'd have to make his own, or find his own.

That meant only one set of tools left. Stegron paused for a moment before cautiously dipping his own claws into the boiling liquid. To his surprise it wasn't even that hot. Now his claws were coated in a fine thin layer of purplish liquefied metal, but nothing seemed too unusual about them. Yet the human had clearly used the same process somehow to melt the reactor walls. Stegron touched the metal casing of the oven under the bowl with his coated claws and the metal instantly started to vibrate and melt right before his eyes. A human might never guess it, but the expression the saurian had now was that of a smile.

[+]

Connors staggered back, staying standing with the last of his strength. Fighting the villain one on one was a big mistake. He never intended to fight anyone in the first place! Curt originally volunteered only to help the injured, but that was before they learned their fate. He didn't have a backup plan anymore, all his routes to escape cut off and with no means to bring down the opponent. All he could do was run and dodge with his reptilian reflexes. Yet the opponent was much more experienced than him and they both understood it was only a matter of time before the nearing conclusion.

The Lizard hissed defiantly, his red eyes gleaming, the irises a pair of narrow slits, the tail slashing behind like a whip and claws out. He would not go down so easily. Not without a fight, if it was the last thing he'd do.

He dashed forward, jaws wide open. Curt knew it was useless, his bite was not strong enough against that armour, but he never tried to bite with full force yet. He could still have a chance. To his fear the Lizard saw the man's hand lift, a repulsor aimed right at his teeth, as the man seemed to be waiting for him to do just that.

 _"But that's a distraction, you stupid mammal. Now is the time to attack"_ Stegron thought with vengeance as he picked this exact moment to jump back into the fight, taking both combatants off guard. Even though Iron Man was warned about the new threat again, he couldn't stop his own movements in time to avoid his hand being grabbed during the attack. With the repulsor's aiming off, the energy blast missed all the targets completely. One mistake was all Stegron needed to finally rip the mammal limb from limb. The human pulled his arm back, to no effect, then switched on the jets, but still only just managed to slip out with the output on maximum.

"You just don't stay dead, do you, fossil?" the villain gritted through his teeth. Something was off. The internal pressure was dropping and there was a critical damage sign on his left arm. Did the dinosaur finally cut through the armour?! Iron Man lifted his hand to check. The armour was a mess, deep claw marks still clearly visible, with metal dissolving around them to reveal his bare hand.

 _"What?!"_

Stegron was not about to leave him any time to think. Another warning snapped Iron Man back to reality, in which a huge dinosaur was about to drive his claws right into his skull. Iron Man dodged to the side he thought safe, trying to keep at the saurian's back to make attacking him harder, but only to be instantly met with a powerful tail he forgot about in his rush and confusion from the maneuver earlier. The impact was so powerful it left a dent in the armour, breaking the repulsor and possibly even some bones.

With both repulsors out of order, Iron Man dashed back into a safer distance, but was caught by the Lizard. Unable to fight him back without the weapons, he couldn't do anything now against two sets of curved claws slashing his chest. The titanium alloy on his torso melted around the scratches, exposing his rib cage with a glowing mechanical heart to the reptiles.

 _"Damn! In such a short time, did he learn how to forge Vibranium and cover his claws with it?!"_ Iron Man realized, too late.

With most of his armour damaged and melted, Iron Man was out of options and weapons. Cursing, he was forced to retreat for now and make a run for his life, but Stegron was not about to let him go so easily. The large reptile jumped on him, pinning the human down to the floor with a powerful stomp and 383 pounds of weight.

"If I were you, I wouldn't try anything ssstupid" Stegron warned menacingly, glaring down at the defeated opponent as he loomed above him. "And if you asss much asss move a mussscle" the saurian lifted his middle toe, pointing the tip of the claw right at the exposed glowing section in the cyborg's chest. "I'll pierccce your beautiful heart here"

Iron Man exhaled with a grimace of pain, going limp in acceptance of his defeat.

[+]

The two reptiles were heading back, with Stegron carrying the two humans on him – the little Jamie whom he left to wait at the entrance, now safely again on his back, and the defeated Iron Man, extracted from the remnants of his armour and tied down for good measure, under his arm.

Connors was genuinly surprised to see his obstinate friend allowing a child to sit on his back. This was the first time he'd seen him ever being so generous and tolerant to a human. Perhaps the trip to Florida didn't go to waste after all. Connors even considered to introduce the saurian to his faculty back in New York and see if he could secure him a position as a teacher. Stegron was a very smart guy after all, even if with his little quirks, and Curt was confident now he was ready to try something a little more challenging.

The reptiles marched for some time side by side through the desert without a word, and then suddenly Stegron audibly chuckled. Connors turned to him with surprise. He was sure both of them were thinking back to some of the darker moments of the day, so Stegron's behavior struck Curt as odd.

"What iss it, Vincent? Why are you laughing?" curiosity finally took the better of Doctor Connors.

"No, nothing" the orange reptile smiled back. "Just noticed sssomething. For all your ssseriousssnesss, sssometimesss you can be sssuch an airhead. That isss rather adorable"

"Neither ssounded like a compliment" Connors noticed skeptically. "Did I forget ssomething again?" he cast a glance over the lab coat, black sweater and trousers, confident nothing was missing and feeling them rub against his scales. Then it hit him.

"Oh, come on!"

For quite some time already he felt the hot sand under his feet, but never gave it a second thought. And indeed, looking down, he found his feet bare and dirty, with no traces of shoes. He remembered taking them off to climb the wall. Connors looked back at the silhouettes of the ghost town on the horizon a few miles behind them.

"I am not going back" Stegron teased, not slowing down for his friend. Curt had nothing left, but to catch up to him.

"Now that I think about it, walking like thiss iss… rather uncomfortable" the Lizard confessed after a few more steps. "The feeling of soft earth and grasss wass actually quite pleassant for a change back then, but ssand is rough and hot. How do you sstand walking barefoot all the time?! And you walk like thiss on snow too?!"

"Then don't think about it" was Stegron's advice. "I don't pay attention to what'sss under my feet either. Grassss, sssand or sssnow don't make a differenccce. You'll get usssed to it"

There wasn't a better one in their circumstances. Connors sighed, but left the case at that. He didn't want to get used to this, he wanted his shoes back! And loosing the expensive custom-made footwear was a shame. He made a mental note to order a replacement and a spare next time.

[+]

"Sso Iron Man wass Tony Sstark all along?! I can't believe it! Why would you, a billionaire and a CEO of the mosst powerful enterprisse do ssuch atrocitiess?!"

"And how do you think people become billionaires and raise the most powerful enterprises, lizard brains?" Stark posed his own question with some resentment.

"Sso you wanted to force your way into clossed countriess like Muganda and take over their economiess?" Curt continued. "But you already have everything! Why did you need to kill all those poor people?"

"An acceptable sacrifice." the human stated. "I didn't have anything personal against them. It was just business. Economy is a zero sum game. Profit doesn't generate from nowhere. Somebody has to lose something for another person to gain it. I only generated an opportunity"

"You are… a monster" Connors concluded with disgust.

"We are living on the same planet" he continued. "It is a place we share, humans, reptiles or any species. All of us call it our home. It is like having a lot of neighbours in a very small house. Sometimes we step on each other's tails, but at the end of the day we all want to live in peace. There will always be those who think they own the place, like this man, but I believe we can all find our little homes somewhere and there will be enough for everyone… What do you think, Jamie?"

The little boy showed his head from behind Stegron's shoulder. He was thinking about this for some time now too: about the fate of his parents, about the fate of the man who killed them and the fate of creatures who saved him. As he opened his mouth to answer, suddenly two silver cybernetic tentacles emerged from under the sand and wrapped the reptiles, incapacitating them, as a group of costumed heroes started to appear around them out of thin air. The pincers on the end of a third tentacle whirred and grabbed the boy by the shirt, gently lifting him and leaving in the hands of a man with a clairvoyance ball for a head and a green-purplish outfit.

"Surrender, villains! Your atrocities end now!" declared the woman with vibrant purple hair, in a green costume and in a golden headgear, lifting herself above ground on the two remaining tentacles of the four coming from her back - the leader of the Mighty Scavengers, Lady Octopus.

"Let the boy go, now" Stegron growled, drilling the new enemy with menace in his cold green eyes. The controller of the tentacles did not move, meeting his stare with one of her own.

A hunter, a bird-man, a brightly coloured lightning-themed hero and a mass of sand all surrounded the reptiles, ready to take them down. The man with a fish tank for a head took a step back instead, vanishing with the boy into the background.

"You are safe now" Mysterio whispered to the child. "Stay close to me. My illusions will make us invisible"

Seeing his demands not being met, Stegron was done talking to these people. He grabbed the metal tentacle with a roar, his powerful muscles bulging with force as he intended to rip the cybernetic appendage into pieces.

"No! Wait! No!" Jamie struggled free. "You got it all wrong! Stop, please! They saved me!"

"Saved… you?" Lady Octopus turned back in surprise as she examined the boy and the reptiles with doubt.

"He was the villain!" Now free of Mysterio's magic, the boy pointed at the unmasked Iron Man under Stegron's arm. "They saved my life!"

The heroes all stopped mid movement with their respective attacks at the ready, unsure what to do.

"Oh" Lady Octopus was first to recover, uncoiling the remaining reptile as she approached the strangers on her remaining tentacles. "That is… quite unusual"

"Sorry for the mistake. We only heard that a villain bombed the power plant. We didn't know who it was and you looked… well, suspicious. I am really sorry" the Vulture descended to the ground, folding his wings and bowing apologetically. "Is there any way I can help? You don't look too good, and neither does this little fellow" – the old man cast a glance at the boy.

"We'll manage. More importantly this boy needs urgent medical attention. He has suffered prolonged dehydration, extensive blood loss from the rupture of hamstring tendon and is in severe psychological shock" Connors interrupted.

"Oh! A doctor!" Carolyn exclaimed, surprised once again. "I understand. We'll do everything in our powers from here on out. Sandman, clear the sandstorms around. Vulture, take the child and fly him to the nearest hospital. Kraeven, Electro, take the criminal to the police. Mysterio and I will see these gentlemen to safety, and then rejoin you. Scavengers, disassemble!"

"So… who are you guys anyway?" the woman started to walk, expecting a long story.

[+]

The local newspapers around the State were buzzing with articles about the two reptilian mutates saving a boy from a terrorist attack. Jamie even agreed for an interview once he was better and came out of the hospital. He was thanking his scaly saviours from the bottom of his heart and asked everyone to fight prejudice against these majestic creatures. Coming from a seven year old boy only starting to regain a healthy colour and body mass, these simple words had a profound impact in the media. Connors and Stegron were now both renowned as local heroes and urban legends.

Later Curt agreed for an interview too. He appeared in the best of his suits, with a white shirt, black jacket and trousers, and a pair of new shiny shoes, as he humbly concurred that he was only doing his duty as a citizen of America and anyone would have done the same in his place.

Stegron disregarded his invitations for the interviews entirely, stating he had better things to do. With regards to his breakthrough contribution to genetics and society as a whole, the National Science Foundation recognized Dr. Stegron's works in genetic retroengineering and offered to renew his membership after a prolonged absence, but the saurian declined to everyone's surprise, stating that he didn't want anything to do with his human name. A compromise has been reached, in which NSF unprecedentedly agreed to issue him a new membership under the name of "Stegron, the Dinosaur Man", thus making him the first official non-human member of the association (Connors was still listed as a human) and the first ever dinosaur to be nominated for an award.

Tony Stark was publicly sentenced for mass murder and numerous corporate crimes, which led to his imprisonment for life on Ryker's island – the most impenetrable prison for super villains, where he met Spider-Man.

[+]

"This country has gone insane" a viewer said, switching off the TV. "Accepting lizards as US citizens? Did America turn into a zoo? What are we going to do next? Vote for a Yeti on an election? I can't stand this nonsense anymore. These imbeciles in power forgot what true America stands for, they disgrace our proud nation. We are a military might unlike any other and the pillar of world peace. The time has come for me to remind everyone what true Americans are and take care of the monsters myself if need be"

The man stood up, raising a blue and red shield with a white star in his hands.


	13. Extra 1

The students discussed the noticeable changes in the class' arrangement over the weekend. A new, larger and sturdier teacher's table was set much more forward towards the auditorium. On top of it were a plain sketch book and some hilariously large markers for the writing board. The various skeletons and models professor Bones kept around for his lectures, were taken out, leaving a lot of space uncomfortably devoid of anything.

The Dean walked in with a face of someone about to make an announcement and lifted his hand, asking for silence, but the class was still buzzing with questions and general confusion.

"Did something happen to professor Bones?" someone asked.

"Is the class cancelled?" a question from the back followed.

"Firstly, I'd like to let you know professor Bones is all right, but today you guys will meet your new professor in Paleontology who will be replacing professor Bones for the rest of the semester, Dr. Stegron. You may find that like one other professor on our faculty, Dr. Curtis Connors, he is also a reptile, a dinosaur even, and while he is usually a good-natured guy, I would remind you all that dinosaurs are an extremely dangerous species and you should take reasonable caution for your own safety and security. As you all undoubtedly know by now from the course, the world of dinosaurs was quite different from ours, and we sincerely hope that from this exchange you may form a better understanding of what it was like and get a better insight into this fascinating subject from another perspective!"

"We all understand that you may find this experience quite unique, but please remember to treat the professor with all respect and give him some time and space to settle in. So please don't bombard him with questions on the first day! I am sure we all want to make this experience as fun and pleasant for everyone as possible. I am sure Dr. Stegron understands this too, so please follow his instructions closely. This is all"

The class went abuzz like a beehive the instant the Dean left, but the commotion quickly died out to the sound of approaching clicking footsteps. Some students held their breath when the door opened again and a beaked saurian head ducked under the doorway, followed by an enormous, more than seven feet tall orange-and-tan reptilian body frame on digitigrade, distinctly theropod-shaped feet, and a very long spiky tail.

Stegron stopped at the center in complete silence, his lightly glowing, curious green eyes focused on the pale faces of students stretching before and below him. The dinosaur man sniffed the air, discerning the scents of humans and also the food they packed with them, and gave the room a critical glance. He appreciated plenty of space to stand comfortably and tools large enough for his use. Stegron was not fully expecting the faculty to follow his demands when he was offered the position, but he was glad that they did.

"Well, I am your new professssor, Dr. Ssstegron" he announced, turning to face the class.

"I've heard you have ssstopped at Permian-Triasssic extinction with professsor Bonesss, correct? I sssupose thisss would be asss good a time asss any for usss to jump in. I do, however, prefer to be more…" he searched for a word. "Practical. Inssstead of giving you lecturesss, asss we go along, I'll bring you sssome of the extinct ssspeciesss from different erasss, reconssstructed from fosssilsss with genetic retroengineering, a method I devisssed. You will ssstudy live creaturesss and make your obssservationsss. It will get more fun when we get to the Jurasssic"

"By the way, I am a hybrid of two dinosssaursss from that period - a Ssstegosssaurusss and an Allosssaursss" Stegron explained. "Doesss anyone know what they ate?"

"The one with the brain the size of a walnut?" one of the students with a smug look giggled. "Cabbage may be?"

Stegron turned around very slowly, his eyes showing a poorly hidden predatory glint. The entire class went silent again, some students on the front rows starting to hide under the desks. The saurian stopped before the student who just insulted him, trying his darn best not to crack the mammal's skull open to show him its contents, as he leaned over, slamming his huge foot on the table, sharp claws the size of the young man's entire fingers right next to his hand for comparison.

"My brain isss big enough for me, thank you. But yoursss, by the look of thingsss, isss cccertainly not. Not for your sssurvival in thisss classs" Stegron hissed, his cold green eyes locked with the boy's. "Were you happen to land in Jurasssic period, you would be eaten in sssix minutesss, mammal" Everyone couldn't help darting their eyes to the clock to notice exactly six minutes had passed since the class started. "And there certainly was no cabbage in that time, there wasn't even grassss or flowerssss, for your information, but you would bring a cabbage with you nonethelesss" he pointed a claw at the mammal's head. "Thisss one. Hope it helpssss you to live to ssssee your gradesss. Ussse it wisssely, young man" he put his foot down and addressed the entire class. "I'll have you know that one wasss a plant eater and fed mosssstly on ferns, and the other was a carnivore, eating other dinosssaursss and sssmall mammalsss. It will do you good to remember. You will really need to bring your knowledge on dinossssaursss way up before the finalssss. By the way, that makessss me an omnivore and, anssswering your question, I can indeed eat cabbage, but meat isss more preferable. Thisss will not be on the exam. Whoever survivesss till the end of Paleogene, will passss"

The class slowly breathed out as the professor made his way back to the writing board, the long tail slowly swaying behind him.

"He didn't mean that last one, uhm, literally, right?" somebody asked in a murmur.

"Wait, did he just fail that douche Jacob?!" another whisper came a few seconds later from the back. "That was badass! He is already my favourite professor!"


	14. Extra 2

Summer had arrived in New York, the temperature climbing to match, and in one part of Manhattan Island, two individuals were busy.

Dr Stegron and Dr Connors.

Both teachers at Empire State University, the former for just the past few months and with a larger, stable source of income, had decided that he could afford better accommodations now, selecting for his new residence a single-story house in one of the quieter suburban regions.

Thick durable carpets ran from the carnivorous rear lounge/dining room through to master and guest bedrooms with heavy tiling for the forward kitchen, en-suite and guest bathrooms. Underfloor heating and air-conditioning maintaining the desired climate inside, every door ninety inches and wide enough so even Stegron could slip through them with relative ease. Still sparsely furnished since he had so little to take with him which had made it possible for it all to be brought in one trip from his friend and colleague. The rod-and-chain, barbells and dumbbells, and concrete slabs that made up his main exercise routine, various reading material, and the few items of clothing he owned. The coat and hat already stowed away in the master bedroom's walk-in closet where they would stay for the next several months before Winter set in again, as were the shorts.

Right now…

"A little more to the left. There." Stegron directed Connors as the last slab was set in place, just beneath the large window by the side-door. "That'sss everything in placcce now. Thanksss for the help."

"You're…welcome." Connors replied while stretching his limbs, not nearly as used to heavy physical labour as his Saurian friend. "Sso now what?"

"Well? Isss there anything you want to do?"

"Really, all I want to do right now, iss jusst lay down and relaxx for a while." Connors admitted after a moment. "You don't mind I take ssome time and lay down there, do you?" He pointed to the window facing the back garden, just in front of the couch and coffee table.

"Not at all, the garden I can tend to myssself." Stegron permitted, already heading for the side door.

Now alone, Connors moved to where the Sun shone through, and standing there with his hands in his pockets, let its rays soak into his scales, the stresses and concerns bleeding away. With Stegron's preference for higher temperatures, it hadn't been long before he had felt the need to strip down. First the sweater then the pants and shoes, folded and set neatly on the couch.

A few minutes of simply enjoying the peace passed before the lab coat joined them, and he lay down on the thick carpet, his arms taking in the sun as well.

This. This is what he'd needed for a while. To be in just his scales, and not worry, even think about anything. Not the taxes, not the meetings, or the reports, or even what was for dinner. Just laying on his back and doing nothing.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed but the sound of someone addressing him pulled him from his near-slumber.

"Enjoyed yourssself?"

He must have rolled to stay in the Sun for longer since he pushed his chest off the floor, the sunlight now on the couch he noted when he turned to face his host.

"Yess. I did."

"Good. There'sss a drink by the counter if you need it." Stegron offered.

"Thankss, I could usse one now." Connors replied, still very slightly sleepy until he started moving again, and joining Stegron by the counter separating the lounge from the kitchen, the sturdy metal stools easily able to take their weights.

"Ssso, are you making enough time for yourssself?" Stegron probed carefully after a short while, hoping the answer was a good one.

"I do try to." Connors confessed. "But there'ss not enough privaccy all the time to allow it."

"Sssorry? But I thought you'd be able to make the ssspaccce for that in your own home." Stegron wondered why that wouldn't be the case.

"If it'ss jusst me and Martha, that'ss eassy enough, but Billy livess with uss too." He explained the situation. "Sso whenever he'ss in the housse, I do need to sset an example. The bassement I usse for out-of-officce work, and the attic issn't really ssuitable."

"I sssee." Stegron conceded that point. "In any cassse, anytime you need to take the time to relaxxx, to unwind, you know you're alwaysss welcome here."

"I, think I'll take you up on that offer." Connors smiled at that. "The ssame with me if you ever feel the need to vissit." To which Stegron nodded his affirmation.

"Sso I hear you've got an asssignment." Connors moved to a new topic. "A new find?"

"Yesss." Stegron confirmed. "Arizzona. They unearthed some new fossssilsss there, and want sssomeone from the NSF to attend."

"Bit of a drive."

"They sssay they've covered that. Chartered a flight and arranged transssport. But we'll sssee. I sshhould be there for about a month."

"I ssee." Connors thought about it for a moment. A month without Stegron around, so a lack of time for being The Lizard? He'd find a way to cope.

"Which isss why there'sss sssomething I'd like you to do for me." Stegron passed him something, a set of keys. "I'd like you to keep an eye on thisss placcce. It'sss not too much you'll need to do, sssort the mail, see the garden'sss fine."

"Th-thankss." Well, Connors had a way to cope now.

"You're welcome."


End file.
